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36 of 46 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
An Active Duty Soldier's point of view, July 8, 2008
I am not a professional critic of any sort by any means, but after watching the movie and reading some of these reviews, I will say that my review is as professional and "accurate" as it gets. I am a Soldier amongst thousands, who has experienced these parts, as 'acted' out in the film, in reality, and what you see and experience in the film are not so and are far fetch. From the most ridiculous setup of a hasty checkpoint to the suicidal pursuit of the insurgents upon their attack (into an easily predicted ambush in a random small alley, at that) in the opening scenes. The Soldiers are equipped with ISR's (internal squad radios), and yet they yell at each other in an insurgent infested building when one Soldier is wounded...Then you have the main character (SSG King) who gets "individually" stop-lossed on his very last day of clearing, only to report, with another unit, back to Iraq... In the midst of this, the movie portrays that just about every Soldier who has just returned home, to include SSG King, as having the worse PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder) possible, leading to one fellow Soldier's suicide. Due to this PTSD, King, at one point in the movie, notices his car has been broken into and items have been stolen; at which point, he so very easily locates the perpetrators in a nearby alley (3 that I recall, armed with a handgun) and has a severe flashback of Iraq leading him to defeat these 3 thieves. Also, once King has been informed of this stop-loss, he reports directly to his LTC, superseding an unseen and unknown NCO support channel and Chain of Command. It's all bogus.
There were many things that were Very inaccurate in this movie and I think it is the wrong way to go about Honoring America's Military. Stop-loss is real. I have experienced it myself as I was in the middle of a PCS (permanent change of station), with my family to another Overseas assignment, only to be kept at my current station for 3 months leading into me deploying. It can be very inconveniencing, but not anything like it is portrayed in the film. I was not stop-lossed as an individual or as a small group for that matter. My entire Division was stop-lossed and stop-moved. I will also say that no Soldier, or Division or Unit even, will ever get stop-lossed directly after a Combat tour anywhere to be directed to report back to Combat effective immediately. That is not to say that a Soldier will not see another Combat tour during the Stop-loss cycle however. Combat sucks, especially for those who have endured it themselves, especially on more than one occasion, and even more so for the families who have suffered the Ultimate Sacrifice. Today's Army is an ALL volunteer force and Soldier's should be well aware of what their specific job within the Army entails them to do and the commitment they hold.
Soldiers do go through MANY hardships. More than any person who has not experienced the Army or Military life themselves, will EVER know. Soldiers do fight everyday in many locations and some do pay the Ultimate Sacrifice. Soldiers do get stop-lossed, but will not quit, give up, and then go AWOL when it happens. They will complain and get disgruntle over it, more than likely, but those same Soldiers will, as we say, "suck it up and drive on." Many Soldiers do have and will get PTSD, but will experience and deal with it in their own ways. Families will be happy when their loved ones return and indescribable when they don't... These things happen in reality, both good and bad and this movie is a piss poor example of how Soldiers live their lives and how the Army works. If you are going to make a movie to Honor Soldiers, their families and their sacrifices, don't make the movie about ONE Soldier who gets stop-lossed as an individual to report back to Iraq specifically, 2 weeks after returning home and then have that Soldier RUN away and go AWOL in rage. Films like "Band of Brothers" and "Black Hawk Down" are films that Honor our Soldiers and give the civilian people a little taste of what a Soldier endures. Not this. I have yet to see any movie that accurately portrays the Soldiers today in Iraq and Afghanistan and the hardships they and their families endure, and honestly I don't wish to see a "movie" that does so. However, if a movie is going to be made, I would rather see that than what this movie did portray. Although many Soldiers have been through more than anyone can imagine, true Soldiers do not quit and run away from anything. God Bless the Troops and their Families!!
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8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
"Your country needs you to go back.", December 7, 2008
Ryan Phillippe is Staff Sergeant Brandon King, the leader of a battalion fighting in a small town in Iraq. One day, the battalion is attacked by some Iraqis in a taxicab, and King and his men chase after the culprits. The chase ends in an alleyway, where they pursue on foot. Unfortunately, they are ambushed and several of King's men are killed. We then flash forward to King and some of his pals going back home to Texas for leave. Some of them, including King, will be released, and they talk about their plans....and get drunk and fight and play with guns. These men don't seem very stable, although some of it may be related to the flashbacks they have to the atrocities in Iraq. Their leave draws to a close, and King goes back to base for one final check-in, anticipating that he will soon be a civilian. However, when he tries to check-out, he's informed by a random bureaucrat that he has to go back to Iraq - he's been stop-lossed. King is outraged, punches out a few soldiers, and hightails it home. The rest of the movie progresses from there.
"Stop-Loss" starts off very strong and builds some nice characterizations, but really takes a chance by having the protagonist take on a less than heroic stance. I suspect that some people cheered his actions; after all, the Iraq war is very unpopular and seen as unjust by many people. However, it was never clear to me why King was so upset about his stop-loss. Was he afraid of getting killed (he mentioned this a few times), was he suffering from PTSD and needed help (perhaps), or was he just mad that he wasn't informed earlier (seems so)? With such murky intentions, the character comes off as unlikeable and petulant at times. This problem made his journey far less impactful than it should have been, even when he meets with one of his former battalion members who was severely injured. Also, as others here have mentioned, it just didn't seem realistic that he was told at such a late time that he was stop-lossed. This detail and a few other issues again really impacted the movie for me. Ryan Phillippe also gives a bland performance, which further dilutes the message and emotional impact. His accent at times is so heavy it's hard to understand him and then it's nearly gone at other times. What starts off as a powerful examination of war and its effects ends up a total mess - what a shame.
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
the "stop-loss" program and the effects it has on human beings, December 31, 2010
Stop-Loss is a rather intense film that focuses on the military's "stop-loss" program--a practice that allows the military to re-deploy American troops back to combat duty in places like Iraq even when they have completely fulfilled their obligations by doing their complete tour of duty. The film's plot moves along well although a few minutes could have edited out to make the story a bit more gripping. The acting is extremely convincing; the choreography and cinematography enhance the movie quite a bit. The casting was excellent and the script well written, too. I should also mention that I really appreciate the input from soldiers and their families; because of them I know so much more about "stop-loss" than I otherwise would have if I had just watched this film. It's important to note that the filmmaker is neither truly anti-soldier nor cheering for a man who has gone AWOL, Kimberly Peirce is protesting the "stop-loss" program; and if you watch the movie from this perspective I think you will like it more.
When the action starts, we meet decorated Staff Sergeant Brian King (Ryan Phillippe) and some of his very good buddies including Tommy Burgess (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) and Sergeant Steve Shriver (Channing Tatum) returning home from combat duty in Iraq. To one degree or another, they are all upset about the trauma they experienced during combat, seeing some of their best friends die and others like Private Rico Rodriguez (Victor Rasuk) terribly maimed for life, losing his sight and more than one limb. However, Brian is relieved and at least somewhat optimistic about his future because he's "gettin' out;" he wants to adjust to life as a civilian in his native Texas again--until, that is, he finds out from a bureaucratic cog in a wheel that he is being unexpectedly "stop-lossed:" he must now return to Iraq and serve even more time. While his buddy Steve doesn't see a problem with this (Steve has been sent back, too), Brian is very disgruntled; and his brief and unproductive meeting with Lieutenant Colonel Boot Miller (Timothy Olyphant) makes him so angry that Brian breaks free from the hold of two men, steals a jeep and flees the military base.
Of course, this makes for quite a crisis. Steve is very opposed to what Brian has done; not only has Brian stolen Steve's jeep, Steve honestly believes that they must serve in the military until they are no longer wanted for any purpose at all. This creates plenty of tension between Steve and Brian; and there's more tension, too, between Steve and his girlfriend Michelle (Abbie Cornish). Michelle wants to marry Steve; she's tired of him telling her it'll only be "one more year" before he leaves the military and they can get married. Things gets even more intense when Brian's parents Roy and Ida (Ciarán Hinds and Linda Emond) are determined to protect Brian; the last thing they want is for their son to risk his life all over again in combat for many months or even longer.
I could tell you so much more; but that would start to spoil it for you. Believe it or not, there's plenty more to the plot--I certainly haven't given it all away! Suffice it to say that Michelle tries to help Brian escape to safe ground while he's AWOL and not yet caught by police and military brass who are looking for Brian in just about every nook and cranny.
Stop-Loss is not a film for small children; there's a fair amount of violence and the filmmakers pull no punches when it comes to portraying the horrible effects of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Nevertheless, this movie just might make you think even if you don't agree with the message of the film. These actors portray their characters as being truly human and that's terrific. I recommend this film for anyone who wants to explore the controversial "stop-loss" military program as well PTSD. Fans of the actors will want this movie for their collections; and people who like dramas that focus on social issues or military life will not be disappointed.
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