Synopsis
During the Vietnam War, a soldier finds himself the outsider of his own squad when they unnecessarily kidnap a female villager.
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Cast
- Michael J. FoxPrivate Eriksson
- Sean PennSgt. Tony Meserve
- Don HarveyCpl. Thomas E. Clark
- John C. ReillyPrivate Herbert Hatcher
- John LeguizamoPrivate Antonio Diaz
- Ving RhamesLt. Reilly
- Thuy Thu LeOanh
- Erik KingBrown
- Jack GwaltneyRowan
- Dan MartinSgt. Hawthorne
Recommendations
- 100
Slant Magazine
It stands as maybe the only great film by the director that I feel an unconscious crisis of conscience that makes me want to view it without an auteurist context. - 100
Washington Post
Even at their most disturbing, Brian De Palma's films have always seemed like brilliant abstractions, sinister theorems from a bloody virtuoso. But Casualties of War, the director's rigorous, unflinching, masterly new film, is something else altogether. It is a film of great emotional power and great seriousness in which all of the filmmaker's talents and interests are in balance. It is a breakthrough work, a signal of an artist's blossoming maturity, and one of the most punishing, morally complex movies about men at war ever made. - 100
Austin Chronicle
It was written by military-horror storyteller David Rabe (Sticks and Bones, Streamers), and features outstanding performances by this ensemble ñ especially Fox and Penn. - 100
Rolling Stone
What makes the film distinctive, devastating and unforget-table is the way De Palma lets the actions of the characters speak volumes. There is no conflict between what De Palma and Rabe are trying to say. But their methods are different. De Palma shows; Rabe tells...This is a portrait of hell so harrowing it’s impossible to shake. - 91
The A.V. Club
Given the seriousness of the subject matter, it's surprising—and ballsy—that De Palma makes Casualties Of War a full-on De Palma movie, with stylishly suspenseful action scenes, heightened performances, and plenty of moments where Fox takes on the role of a typically impotent De Palma voyeur. - 80
Empire
Michael J. Fox is a revelation as the mouse that roared, whilst the score, the direction, and the rest of the cast turn a risky film into a solid addition to the Nam canon. - 80
The Guardian
An impressively faithful and highly effective film, aside from the misjudged [spoiler omitted] ending. - 75
Chicago Sun-Times
More than most films, it depends on the strength of its performances for its effect - and especially on Penn's performance. If he is not able to convince us of his power, his rage and his contempt for the life of the girl, the movie would not work. He does, in a performance of overwhelming, brutal power.
