Casualties of War (1989)

Regisseur:

Brian De Palma

Drehbuchautoren (WGA):

Daniel Lang (book)
David Rabe (screenplay)

Premierendatum:

18. August 1989 (USA)

Genre:

Abenteuer | Biographie | Drama | Kriegsfilm

Werbezeile:

Even in war... murder is murder.

Plot:

During the Vietnam War, a soldier finds himself the outsider of his own squad when they unnecessarily kidnap a female villager.

Plot Keywords:

Death | Hut | War | Male Nudity | Vietnam War

Filmpreise:

Nominated for Golden Globe. Another 1 win & 1 nomination

Nutzerkommentare:

De Palma goes to war

Besetzung

Michael J. Fox	...	PFC. Eriksson
Sean Penn	...	Sgt. Tony Meserve
Don Harvey	...	Cpl. Thomas E. Clark
John C. Reilly	...	PFC. Herbert Hatcher
John Leguizamo	...	PFC. Antonio Diaz
Thuy Thu Le	...	Tran Thi Oanh / Girl on Train
Erik King	...	Cpl. Brown
Jack Gwaltney	...	PFC. Rowan
Ving Rhames	...	Lt. Reilly
Dan Martin	...	Hawthorne
Dale Dye	...	Capt. Hill
Steve Larson	...	Agent #1
John Linton	...	Agent #2
Vyto Ruginis	...	Prosecutor
Al Shannon	...	Wilkins

Alternativ:

Verdammten des Krieges, Die (Österreich) (Bundesrepublik Deutschland) [de]

Länge:

113 Min | USA:121 Min (extended version)

Produktionsland:

USA

Sprache:

Englisch

Farbe:

Farbe

Seitenverhältnis:

2.35 : 1

Tonverfahren:

70 mm 6-Track (70 mm prints) | Dolby (35 mm prints)

Altersfreigabe:

Australia:MA (extended version) | Brazil:18 | Iceland:16 | Finland:K-16 | France:-12 | Norway:15 | Singapore:NC-16 | Sweden:15 | UK:18 | USA:R | West Germany:16 | Philippines:PG-13 | Australia:M

Drehorte:

Kanchanaburi, Thailand

Firma:

Columbia Pictures Corporation

Dies und das:

Stephen Baldwin was originally cast as Hatcher, and appears in the background during a few of the film's early scenes - you can make out that Meserve refers to him as "Hatcher" even though it was partially dubbed to hide the fact that it wasn't the "proper" Hatcher to save the scene being re-shot (this is when they enter the village at the beginning). However, Brian De Palma wasn't impressed at all with Baldwin's acting during filming and was subsequently fired. John C. Reilly, who originally had only one line in the film (as the soldier who had his arm blown off) was sent home to America prior to this decision only to be called back literally when he got off the plane in Chicago by De Palma himself.

Pannen:

Abfolgefehler: When a soldier steps on a landmine, other soldiers takes a picture of his corpse. Erikkson and one soldier goes to look that corpse which now lies on an opposite side of the road.

Dialogzitate:

Capt. Hill: You couldn't let it rest, could you? You had to push it?
Eriksson: Go to hell. SIR.

Bezüge zu anderen Titeln:

Verweis/Anspielung/Erwähnung in Saturday Night Live: The Best of David Spade (2005) (TV)

Soundtrack:

Hold On I'm Coming

De Palma goes to war

The leader of a small platoon (Sean Penn) kidnaps an innocent Vietnamese girl (he plans to use her as a prostitute), over the objections of one of the soldiers (Michael J. Fox). I have never been able to figure out why this movie has never gotten much attention. It is based on an incident that (allegedly) took place during the Vietnam conflict, and was later reported by "The New Yorker". I have no idea how accurate the film is (I'm sure the film takes more than a few liberties with the facts), but the truth is that this movie is an emotional powerhouse. The film is not perfect (for example, Fox's role is too good to be true), but this is a De Palma movie, so people familiar with his work know that De Palma's movies are known for an incredible sense of style, not for a strong narrative. From a technical standpoint, this is a brilliant example of the director's amazing command of the film medium. I think De Palma is one of the great American directors, and many of his films (Sisters, Blow Out, etc.) are in desperate need of reevaluation (yes, I'm a fan boy!). This is not one of his masterpieces, but it is something he should be proud of. The film has a very anti-war message, but the content should not distract from the skillful way in which this movie is presented. Stephen H. Burum's camera work is great, and Ennio Morricone's music score is magnificent. A little too graphic, but an absorbing, rewarding movie experience.