Following the 1991 Gulf War, Lieutenant Colonel Nathaniel Serling (Denzel Washington) is assigned to review the background of the late Captain Karen Walden (Meg Ryan), who has been posthumously nominated for a medal of honor. While investigating Walden's candidacy, Serling is forced to face his own disillusionment and guilt .. Read more
| Starring | Denzel Washington, Meg Ryan, Lou Diamond Phillips, Michael Moriarty |
|---|---|
| Director | Edward Zwick |
| Genres | Drama |
loading...
Following the 1991 Gulf War, Lieutenant Colonel Nathaniel Serling (Denzel Washington) is assigned to review the background of the late Captain Karen Walden (Meg Ryan), who has been posthumously nominated for a medal of honor. While investigating Walden's candidacy, Serling is forced to face his own disillusionment and guilt surrounding the war. As he begins the interviewing process, he uncovers several inconsistencies in the stories told by the late pilot's crew. The three officers, who may or may not have been saved by the captain's actions, all give drastically different accounts of the events leading up to Walden's death. Ilario (Matt Damon) paints Walden as an unselfish, courageous hero, while the surly Monfriez (Lou Diamond Phillips) describes her as a crybaby and a coward. The third soldier, Altameyer (Seth Gilliam), lies dying in an army hospital, mumbling guilty confessions in a medicated haze. Similar to the storytelling technique used in Akira Kurosawa's RASHOMON, director Edward Zwick's COURAGE UNDER FIRE features each officer's account of the fateful incident reenacted onscreen, offering wildly diverse portrayals of Walden. Meg Ryan shines in a role that demands she play one character a multitude of ways. As Serling pieces together the radically different tales of combat, he uncovers the painful truth and simultaneously faces his own pent-up guilt regarding the war.
| Starring | Denzel Washington, Meg Ryan, Lou Diamond Phillips, Michael Moriarty, Seth Gilliam |
|---|---|
| Director | Edward Zwick |
| Studio | 20TH CENTURY FOX HOME ENTERTAINMENT |
| Run time | DVD: 1 hr 52 mins Blu-ray: 1 hr 52 mins |
| Certificate | |
| Collections | 100 Feisty Females |
| Genres | Drama |
| Language | DVD: English Blu-ray: English |
| Hearing-impaired | English |
| Subtitles | DVD: Czech, Danish, Finnish, Hungarian, Icelandic, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese, Swedish |
| Released | DVD: 13 May 2004 Blu-ray: 09 Apr 2007 Production year: 1996 |
| Format | DVD |
In this rather self important Gulf War drama, Meg Ryan plays a pilot due to get a posthumous medal for bravery, but has there been a cover-up of the real events? Were those brave American soldiers in the Iraqi desert killed by friendly fire? This is a Rashomon for the 1990s, with Gulf War hero Denzel Washington searching for the truth and, naturally, a Washington Post reporter sniffing around as well. The subject matter, the strong performances from Washington and Scott Glenn, and stylish direction from Edward Zwick — who directed Washington in Glory — combine to make this seem more incisive than it really is. Ultimately, it looks good, sounds noble but rings a bit hollow.
A film that begins as a complex investigation into behaviour in wartime but ends as a straightforward flag-waving exercise.
excellent acting, excellent story, top class movie, good twists keeps you guessing .worth getting this one.
Quite amazing really that Hollywood showed the real intelligence of the US armed forces. In the opening sequence we see Denzel Washington giving the order to fire on a tank which later turns out to be one of his own. In real life this would most likely have been a british tank as the yanks have had a habit of killing us in recent conflicts.
This aside, quite an enjoyable film really.
Poland, 1941: Three brothers – the Bielskis – escape a Nazi-ordained massacre at their farm by the skin of their teeth. They hide out in the vast Belarussian forest, while Tuvia (Daniel Craig) waits for a chance to exact his revenge on the collaborators who murdered their parents. Yet to the consternation of his brother Zus (Liev Schreiber) every time Tuvia returns from a recce, he brings more Jewish refugees back with him into the forest. Soon they have a full-scale camp on their... Read more
* The Amazon.co.uk prices on our site are updated every 24 hours and may not be up to date at the time you view this page.
To see the current new and "new and used" Amazon.co.uk prices, please click on the Buy button.