Rating: Summary: EXCELLENT! Review: Definitely a great movie, Courage Under Fire, brings to the screen two stories as they unfold at the same time; a military investigation into whether a female officer should receive the Medal of Honor posthumously, and the inner struggle of the investigator as he tries to come to terms with his having been responsible for his friend's death in Iraq during Desert Storm.
The film combines drama, action and adventure making it one of the best of its kind.
Needless to say, Denzel Washington, Meg Ryan, Lou Diamond Phillips, Matt Damon, and the rest of the cast have truly outdone themselves with their performances, which are outstanding to say the least! All the actors, without exceptions, give it their 100% and it really shows (the chemistry is AMAZING)!
The setting, the special effects, the music and the costumes are all wonderful!
In short, it is a movie worth watching! Strongly recommended along with Black Hawk Down.
Rating: Summary: Great acting. Super sounding DVD Review: Denzel Washington and Meg Ryan are both excellent here. The movie about an army colonel (Denzel Washington) investigating first medal of honor to be given to a woman (Meg Ryan). With Agatha Christie style, get the truth from the eye witness through interview. And different witness give some kind of variations of the truth. It is really exciting to watch. Too bad this movie was not a box office hits but lucky for us Fox has given us an excellent quality DVD. Sharp picture and great sound. Highly recommended.
Rating: Summary: Poor movie, but fabulous DVD Review: Director Edward Zwick choiced a Rashomon like film narration to make the first Hollywood movie related to the Gulf war. Alas, Zwick isn't Kurosawa, furthermore the script is mediocre, phony and - overall - lacks courage. Denzel Washington plays poorly a poor character - ergo not even a great actor can save an unsound script. Meg Ryan - BTW coproducing the movie - is simply ridiculous, I understand she's bored to be America's sweetheart, but she'll never be plausible as playing a soldier?!However this DVD edition will be a joy for your eyes and - mainly - ears. The DTS audio track is one of the most powerful and well defined I've ever heard. If you are interested to put to the test your home theater then this DVD is a great choice.
Rating: Summary: A couragious film that deals with current event's. Review: Edward Zwick's impressive Gulf War film about the horrors and the soilders that fought in Iraq in 1990 is a somber look at the reality of mistakes in war and the sacrifices soilders made that had to high of price for the burden that they must go through on any given day.But even as I write this review this almost deals with current events in it's war subject now that it looks ever closer that another war in the gulf is becoming closer then we think. The date January 1990 president George Bush has exausted all ways for a diplomatic solution with Iraq he has no choice but to prepare the United States for a war with Iraq within the gulf of Iraq Lt.Colonel Stirling is in charge of a battalion of T-72's along with a platoon of soilders in his command including Boilar his best freind.But just when things are going as normal as they could be Lt.Colonel Striling orders under fire to attack a tank in the distance not knowing weither it is one of there's or an Iraq T-72 and tragedy overwelms him when he attacks with frendly fire his friend Boilar. Meanwhile back in Washington still battle scarred from his terrible tragedy in the Gulf ,Stirling is orderd to investigate weither a female commading officer should be honored with the medal of honor while he helicopter was shot down behind enimey lines , he goes to each of the members in her platoon and get's diffrent and conficting storys from a scared war torn soilder played by Matt Damon to an emotionally scarred gunnery srgt who is played by Lou Diamond Phillips but that is nothing compared to his reliving his tragedy with his freind over and over and his personal problems with his family,but Stirling gains much more with this investigation then he could have imagined and that is he get's a chance to gain his Honor back as a soilder and it only to Capt.Karen Walden(Meg Ryan) to relalize that and to face up to his responsibilitys to tell Boilars family the truth on the horrible day an honestly give a good enough investigation so that Capt. Walden can be honored in all and every respect as a soilder with honor and courage. Courage Under Fire is a well acted film an incredible opening with a recreation of the Gulf War,a good cast and a good story fine perfomances by Denzel Washington and Meg Ryan bearly any options on this DVD but good use of Dts a wrothy addition to your DVD collection.
Rating: Summary: Not about the war. Review: Fascinating story line, great audio tracking, and filled with guts and glory. And I have only seen the LD version. This DVD version must be fantastic! Two courage stories in one package. He survived the war and is in grips of receiving his medal of honour, having also to investigate the purple heart for the other true hero. Which story is the truth? Both are unveiled at the end. A twist as great as The Negotiator. A must see if you need to understand what leadership is about under pressure.
Rating: Summary: The Courage And Confusion Of War Review: Fine performances, especially by Washington, portray the courage and confusion that is part of combat. The story drew me in and had me as eager as Washington's character to know the truth.
Rating: Summary: Big-name stars: A great story, brilliantly acted. Review: First off, the time for this review is a little off. (09/2003) Right now the "anti-war" crowd seems to hold sway ... at least in the media. But take it from a former soldier, this is a great and very realistic story about what happens under fire. (War ... IS ugly. But perhaps September 11th, 2001 taught us there are some battles you should not run away from.) You should also read a few of the other reviews about this movie, they are very well-done. This story is about Denzel Washington's character (Sterling) who is assigned to investigate a dead helicopter's actions after their aircraft went down in the first Gulf War. (1990) The deceased helicopter pilot is Meg Ryan's character (Walden); she gets precious little screen-time in this movie ... it is perhaps the only criticism I can think of that is valid. I don't need to tell you the rest of the details, story and technique of this film, other reviews do this as well as anyone possibly could. What I do have to offer is a word about the acting of this movie. Normally Denzel Washington plays action characters, and Meg Ryan almost always seem to do a comedy/drama about a woman in love. Here both actors are engaged in a radical departure from their normal fare. I don't know how many Oscar's this film was nominated for, (and I don't really care, Oscar's seem to be as much about politics as anything else); but Washington, Ryan, and Damon all give performances that are quite worthy of this award. And the rest of the cast is very good as well. I would personally like to say that this film could have easily been the best picture of the year, and the actor's could have easily walked away with several statues. The director could have won an Oscar as well. In the end, you are irrevocably drawn into the story and live it, just as you should be with a really good film. My only word of warning is that this is a real tear-jerker, the end of this one could have you crying like a baby. There are few films that I would recommend to anyone, this movie is definitely one of those. (Of course you have to put the kids to bed, some of the words, action, and violence are not really suitable for children.) A+
Rating: Summary: Powerful movie Review: I liked this movie because of Denzel Washington's acting. The plot and themes of what can happen in war and the real test of character, courage, and honesty was interesting as well. The southern accents of Ryan and Morierity were very strange and detracted from the film for me. Well photographed and some good combat scenes.
Rating: Summary: All Fired Up! Review: Inspirational and then some, Courage Under Fire has the mettle to tell its story against the backdrop of the Gulf War--the first Hollywood flick to do this--without pandering to patriotic overstatement. The triumph of Courage Under Fire is in its old-fashioned storytelling and the eyes of its star soldier. If Washington's legend isn't secure by now, then there is no justice. The man's got the goods, and when he lets them fly all we can do is offer him our best salute.
Rating: Summary: Profiles of courage. Review: Intense, realistic drama about a US Army colonel who is assigned to investigate whether a woman combat officer should recieve a posthumous medal of honor for bravery during the Gulf War. Profiles of courage and cowardice, with the tension of wartime , are vividly portrayed.
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