Stop-Loss
Stop-Loss
R | 28 March 2008 (USA)
Stop-Loss Trailers

A veteran soldier returns from his completed tour of duty in Iraq, only to find his life turned upside down when he is arbitrarily ordered to return to field duty by the Army.

Reviews
Alicia I love this movie so much
Incannerax What a waste of my time!!!
BroadcastChic Excellent, a Must See
Hulkeasexo it is the rare 'crazy' movie that actually has something to say.
SnoopyStyle Brandon King (Ryan Phillippe) and his men get caught in an ambush in Tikrit, Iraq. Several are killed in the incident. King returns home to Texas as a hero. Senator Orton Worrell promises to care for his injured comrade Rodriguez. His friend Steve Shriver (Channing Tatum) shows signs of PTSD scaring his fiancée Michelle (Abbie Cornish). Tommy Burgess (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) is drunk and gets thrown out by his wife. Brandon, Tommy and Steve report back to the military. Brandon is surprised to be stop-loss. He is ordered back to Iraq despite expecting to be discharged. He goes AWOL. Along with Michelle, he heads for D.C. to get help from Senator Worrell.There are a few interesting performances but the movie takes on too much. It needs more scenes of quiet character development and concentrate on fewer people. Not everything has to be issues about being a soldier. It pushes a little too hard when King goes super-soldier on those thieves. There's probably a better and simpler movie in here.
rusoviet ...i.e. surprise surprise suddenly as of January 2009 one does not find any films damning the effort in Iraq or anywhere since his majesty was inaugurated. I foolishly though this was a film about a boiler room on Wall Street - oh well next time dummy check it out first before you but it for $2.99 @ 7/11.The incessant introspection and 'angst' very heavily laden. The one thing that was true was the protagonist stating there was no declared war with which to justify use of troops. Absolutely right but again no such films since 'his nibs' took over the white house and even with the indiscriminate use of drones, there won't be.Lastly it could have been compressed into a 60 minute drama - I found the emotion boring I was fast forwarding to the final scene.
Enchorde Recap: After two tours in Iraq Staff Sergeant Brandon King is finally coming home and is leaving the army. With he has his friends that he served with, men that became as close as brothers, equally eager to quit fighting, equally happy to finally be close to dear ones. But the boys may be home, but they certainly haven't left the war behind. It is with them constantly, and each of them struggles with in their own way. They abuse drugs and alcohol and get into fights. It tear every relationship apart. Their wives and girlfriends can't handle them, the brotherhood between them comes under extreme pressure. So when King finds out that the army is about to Stop-Loss him, which means it won't let him quit and forcefully send him back to Iraq, Brandon feels betrayed. The army and government that he fought for, risked his life for, broke their deal. And he can't handle anymore death, more friends dying. He goes AWOL in a race for Washington, to speak with a senator, but he soon finds out that as fugitive, the list of friends quickly grows thin.Comments: A strong movie about courage and duty, and doing the honorable thing. About how a government that has sent thousands of soldiers to fight a war on foreign soil, can turn their back on the same men once they returned home. How deals are broken, trust betrayed and the despair these men that is forced to rejoin can feel.It is a strong movie about how it feels to return home with these horrible memories (at best) and not being able to handle them, the strain it puts on these individuals and their relationships.Well, I have not been in any war, neither am I American, so the real issues might not be mine to debate, even if I do have a clear opinion about it. However, so does it seem this movie has. And it is very good at relaying it.Ryan Philippe, Channing Tatum and Abbie Cornish gives very strong performances along with the rest of a strong cast. Their acting is reason enough to watch this movie, a real impressive effort.It might be so that some of the events is not entirely realistic, however to dismiss the movie or the emotions that are portrayed in them because of that is foolish. It portrays a part of a war that both individuals and governments that send their soldiers to war need to handle. Therefore I think this movie gives an important statement in that debate.In the end, just focusing on the movie, it was a really good movie. Well acted with a real good story that kept my interest without problem. A drama with some real emotion and close to the thriller genre. Well worth watching! 7+/10
Brian Wright s Stop-Loss a war movie—showing in grim detail the nature of the Iraqi war—, a buddy movie—Brandon King (Ryan Phillippe) and his four buds who have managed to survive multiple tours of duty are returning to their Brazos, Texas, homes: "Mission Accomplished," so let's party and get on with our blessed lives—, or a cause movie—government say "Whoops, just kidding, it's crucifixion... the President put us under 'stop-loss' and you have to go back, like, until we say leave."?Like Bonneville, the movie I reviewed last week, Stop-Loss would be classified a small movie with a relatively new writer/director team. It also has some very accomplished younger actors who play the Army soldiers returning from Hell to a heroes' welcome... ...For my complete review of this movie and for other movie and book reviews, please visit my site TheCoffeeCoaster.com.Brian Wright Copyright 2009