Customer Reviews

Courage Under Fire

5 star:		(33)
4 star:		(28)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

The basic plot line of "Courage Under Fire" is that Lt. Col Nathaniel Sterling (Denzel Washington) is investigating an incident during the Gulf War to determine whether or not the Medal of Honor should be awarded to Captain Karen Walden (Meg Ryan). It does not take us long to find out that the title of this film refers to both Sterling and Walden. The initial story on Walden, the pilot of a rescue helicopter, is that she made a spectacular rescue of a downed helicopter crew, then fought off attacking Iraquis after her own copter crashed, dying right before they were rescued themselves. But as Sterling questions the surviving members of Walden's crew, he discovers their various versions do not jive, and he begins to question what is the truth. Moreover, Sterling is haunted by his own actions during the Gulf War, where he was responsible for a "friendly fire" incident that resulted in the death of American soldiers. To complicate matters, Sterling is drinking too much, has grown distant from his family, and is being hounded by a commanding officer who wants the P.R. value of Walden receiving the medal and a reporter who knows something of what happened to the Colonel in Iraq.

"Courage Under Fire" makes excellent use of the "Rashomon" technique, wherein we get to see each person's version of what really happened in Iraq. Sterlings own feelings of guilt and responsibility for what happened in Iraq provide an additional level of depth to the narrative (more so than in Kurosawa's original classic film in fact). Some may find the parallel attempts to find redemption to be somewhat heavy handed, but ultimately the film succeeds because of the solid acting performances. In addition to Washington and Ryan, who knew have a scene together, there are solid performances from Lou Diamond Phillips and a very underweight Matt Damon as surviving members of Walden's crew, Michael Moriarity as the General, Scott Glenn as the reporter, and Regina Taylor as Sterling's wife. Certainly this film is closer to the reality of Desert Storm than "Three Kings," but the main enjoyment here is watching Ryan and her crew do the same lines with totally different meanings because of radical changes in context while Washington tries to find meaning in his own life.

One of my favorites. A movie that will keep you guessing till the very end. Nat Serling is sent home from the Persian Gulf with traumas and few prospects after being in a friendly fire incident. He is given what should have been an open-and-shut case: investigate a female chopper pilot for the Medal of Honor. Things become tricky quickly as Serling's support is withdrawn when he discovers discrepancies in the witness' stories and he will have to risk everything to find out the truth about what happened on a dark night in Iraq. Magnetizing throughout, this picture is well-conceived and very compelling, and it has messages about society. Excellent directing and writing, as well as amazing acting, this movie shines.

The basic plot line of "Courage Under Fire" is that Lt. Col Nathaniel Serling (Denzel Washington) is investigating an incident during the Gulf War to determine whether or not the Medal of Honor should be awarded posthumously to Captain Karen Walden (Meg Ryan). It does not take us long to find out that the title of this film refers to both Serling and Walden. The initial story on Walden, the pilot of a rescue helicopter, is that she made a spectacular rescue of a downed helicopter crew, then fought off attacking Iraquis after her own copter crashed, dying right before the besieged group was rescued. But as Serling questions the surviving members of Walden's crew, he discovers their various versions do not jive, and he begins to question what is the truth of what really happened. Moreover, Serling is haunted by his own actions during the Gulf War, where he was responsible for a "friendly fire" incident that resulted in the death of American soldiers. To complicate matters even more, Serling is drinking way too much, has grown distant from his family, and is being hounded by both a commanding officer (Michael Moriarity) who wants the P.R. value of Walden being the first woman to receive the Medal of Honor and a reporter (Scott Glenn) who knows something of what happened to the Colonel in Iraq and wants to know the rest.

"Courage Under Fire" makes excellent use of the "Rashomon" technique, wherein we get to see each person's version of what really happened in Iraq. Serling's own feelings of guilt and responsibility for what happened in Iraq provide an additional level of depth to the narrative (more so than in Kurosawa's original classic film in fact). Some may find the parallel attempts to find redemption to be somewhat heavy handed, but ultimately the film succeeds because of the solid acting performances. In addition to Washington and Ryan, who never have a scene together, there are solid performances from Lou Diamond Phillips and a very underweight Matt Damon as surviving members of Walden's crew, Michael Moriarity as the General, Scott Glenn as the reporter, and Regina Taylor as Serling's wife. Certainly this film is closer to the reality of Desert Storm than "Three Kings," but the main enjoyment here is watching Ryan and her crew do the same lines with totally different meanings because of radical changes in context while Washington tries to find meaning in his own life.

This is an action movie with big-name stars but no flying cows, exploding chewing gum or invading aliens. Not that smashing special effects aren't cool. It's just that Courage Under Fire, while reconnoitering some previous military movie terrain, demonstrates the potency of a film that's well acted and directed and tells a solid story.

To wit: An Army officer (Washington) relentlessly searches out the truth about what happened the night a medical-evacuation pilot (Ryan) and her crew got trapped behind enemy lines during the Gulf War. The pilot, who died in action, has been nominated for a posthumous Medal of Honor, but as Washington interviews the men who served under her, he finds worrisome discrepancies in their accounts of the episode. (The movie, tipping its helmet to Rashomon, shows each survivor's differing version in flashback.)

What gives the story its greater resonance is the fact that Washington is a man questioning his own honor, having mistakenly given an order to fire on his own men during the Gulf War.

Washington is excellent, nicely underplaying his big scenes and ably conveying a righteous man currently ill at ease with himself. Ryan, seen only in the flashbacks, is convincingly gritty. In supporting roles as members of Ryan's crew, Phillips and, especially, Damon are standouts.

Courage is unfailingly intelligent. It is as moving as you suspect director Ed Zwick (Glory) thinks it is. The script is logical and compelling, its pieces fitting together like Lincoln Logs. Yet, this one indeed rewards the adult in us.

War movies rarely acknowledge fatal blunders alongside the typical nimble strategies all in the same vein, much less in the same individual. Courage Under Fire manages that with an effortless tapestry of morality, valour and honour.

Apart from such sheer emotional freight, it even manages to counch a discreet message about the quirks of real wars and their very human aftermath. There are points in the film where both the Iraqi and the American soldiers look almost indistinguishable. Fighting nations with crunch budgets is a complex enterprise with a variety of perspectives.

There is much to say about the plot's setup, it's spectacular. Denzel is heads and shoulders above everyone else but the performances are excellent all-round. Matt Damon seemed to have lost half his weight to fit into the role. Meg Ryan is very convincing for her irregular turn as a leathery war woman. But above all, I was particularly astonished by the confident pizzazz of Lou Diamond Phillips, his explosive cameo is one of the most unforgettable sequences.

With its highly realistic battle scenes, fast-paced screenplay and a solid heart , Courage Under Fire is a top class production, regardless of the qualms regarding nationalistic or gender messages that other critics bloviate about. My theory that you cannot go terribly wrong with anything that involves Denzel still remains intact.

Courage Under Fire will always rank as one of the best movies Denzel Washington ever made. Powerful, compelling, weighty in tone and subject matter, this film deals with real-life, complex issues and does so with wonderful direction, a great script, and outstanding performances.

Washington plays a high ranking officer during Operation Desert Storm who loses his command in a friendly fire incident, and find himself reassigned to the branch that investigates medal nominations. He is given the particularly controversial assignment of recommmending or not recommending a female officer killed in action for the Medal of Honor. As she would be the first woman to receive this honor, Washington's every move is scrutinized, and his investigation provides a lack of easy answers or direction.

Washington's Lt. Colonel Sterling tries to perform well in his new assignment while dealing with the guilt and trauma over his own military career. Meg Ryan plays the medal candidate in flashblacks, and Matt Damon and Lou Diamond Phillips play soldier under Ryan's command during the incident for which she has been nominated for the Medal of Honor. All of these performances are excellent, and issues such as what constitutes heroism and bravery in wartime, the difference between duty and sacrifice, and how does one accept making an unacceptable mistake are all explored without offering pat, resolved in two hours answers.

This is a great film and one of the best of its kind ever made.

Matt Damon can be seen here in one of his first roles, and this role was largely overlooked, overshadowed perhaps by the star power of Meg Ryan (in the least annoying role I have ever seen her play) playing a tough commanding officer during Desert Storm, or overshadowed by Denzel Washington, investigating the circumstances surrounding her death. Damon may even have been overshadowed by the presence of an insane, glory seeking Lou Diamond Phillips. Damon's heroin-addicted character, though, is one of the reasons this film stands out in my mind. Also the story-telling technique of flashing back through different character's eyes is borrowed from such classic films as Kurosawa's Rashomon. It expertly illustrates the importance and use of point-of-view, which is totally different and distorted depending upon whom you consult.

Denzel Washington and Meg Ryan are both excellent here. The movie about an army colonel (Denzel Washington) investigating first medal of honor to be given to a woman (Meg Ryan). With Agatha Christie style, get the truth from the eye witness through interview. And different witness give some kind of variations of the truth. It is really exciting to watch. Too bad this movie was not a box office hits but lucky for us Fox has given us an excellent quality DVD. Sharp picture and great sound. Highly recommended.

Well acted, tight battle scenes. For the military buff,along with Three Kings, this movies is one of the few opportunities to see the military in action in the Persian Gulf. Much better battle action here than in Three Kings.

The movie picks up momentum as it presents the perspectives of the survivors.

Watch for an early Matt Damon as a post battle druggie torn by guilt.

As usual, Denzel Washington is excellent and Meg Ryan was unexpectedly believable as the unit commander under fire. Who would have thought that she could play tough?

All in all, an enjoyable movie.

First off, the time for this review is a little off. (09/2003) Right now the "anti-war" crowd seems to hold sway ... at least in the media. But take it from a former soldier, this is a great and very realistic story about what happens under fire.
(War ... IS ugly. But perhaps September 11th, 2001 taught us there are some battles you should not run away from.)

You should also read a few of the other reviews about this movie, they are very well-done.

This story is about Denzel Washington's character (Sterling) who is assigned to investigate a dead helicopter's actions after their aircraft went down in the first Gulf War. (1990) The deceased helicopter pilot is Meg Ryan's character (Walden); she gets precious little screen-time in this movie ... it is perhaps the only criticism I can think of that is valid.

I don't need to tell you the rest of the details, story and technique of this film, other reviews do this as well as anyone possibly could. What I do have to offer is a word about the acting of this movie.

Normally Denzel Washington plays action characters, and Meg Ryan almost always seem to do a comedy/drama about a woman in love. Here both actors are engaged in a radical departure from their normal fare.

I don't know how many Oscar's this film was nominated for, (and I don't really care, Oscar's seem to be as much about politics as anything else); but Washington, Ryan, and Damon all give performances that are quite worthy of this award. And the rest of the cast is very good as well. I would personally like to say that this film could have easily been the best picture of the year, and the actor's could have easily walked away with several statues. The director could have won an Oscar as well.

In the end, you are irrevocably drawn into the story and live it, just as you should be with a really good film. My only word of warning is that this is a real tear-jerker, the end of this one could have you crying like a baby.

There are few films that I would recommend to anyone, this movie is definitely one of those. (Of course you have to put the kids to bed, some of the words, action, and violence are not really suitable for children.) A+