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Review: "Stop-Loss"

by Jane Boursaw on March 29th, 2008

“Stop-Loss” strikes me as an anti-war propaganda film (whatever your political beliefs, I hate the feeling of being preached at). That said, it’s still a very good movie that held my attention from start to finish.

The story revolves around a group of soldiers stationed in Iraq. While supervising a checkpoint in Tikrit, Staff Sgt. Brandon King (played with world-weary cynicism by Ryan Phillippe) and his squad are drawn into an intense firefight that leaves some of them dead, some wounded, and the rest badly shaken.

It’s a sober ending to their tour of duty, but Brandon, his best friend, Steve Shriver (Channing Tatum), and their buddy Tommy (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) are relieved to be heading home to Brazos, Texas, where they’re welcomed with a hero’s parade and celebration.

More after the jump…

None of the soldiers are unscathed, though. On a drunken binge, Steve back-hands his fiance, Michelle (Abbie Cornish, who breaks your heart with her sad eyes), then digs a hole in their front yard and hunkers down with a pistol, waiting for the enemy to show up.

Tommy is suffering from acute post-traumatic stress syndrome, and Brandon is just trying to gain his bearings. The boys retreat to Brandon’s family ranch, owned by his parents (Linda Emond and Ciaran Hinds), where they blow off steam and try to find a new normal.

But the worst news comes when Brandon learns he’s been stop-lossed – meaning he’s being sent back to Iraq for another tour. Outraged and unable to endure the thought, Brandon goes AWOL and hits the road. His plan: drive to Washington, D.C. and appeal to Senator Orton Worrell (Joseph Sommer), who said to contact him if Brandon ever needs anything.

Michelle, on the outs with Steve, decides to drive Brandon to Washington. Along the way, they encounter other stop-lossed soldiers, either laying low or heading to Canada or Mexico with new identities. They also stop and talk with the family of Al “Preacher” Colson (Terry Quay), one of Brandon’s fallen squad. At a military hospital, they visit Rico Rodriguez (Victor Rasuk), one of those badly injured during the gunfire. Now blind and missing an arm and a leg, he’s trying to make the best of things.

Poignant and heartbreaking, the movie’s message is that decorated war heroes can quickly become down-and-out homeless veterans, through no fault of their own. And politicians, no matter how cheery and helpful they seem on the surface, won’t help any soldier unwilling to play by their rules.

The question Brandon so heartbreakingly asks is, “How much should one man be asked to give for his country?” The government’s answer: “Everything, including his life. No questions asked. No compromises made.”

But the big question simmering below the surface in this movie: “Is the war really worth it? And are these men dying and suffering horrible emotional and physical traumas for nothing?”

Photos: Stop-Loss, Paramount Pictures, 2008

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