Rating: 
Summary: Getting at the Truth
Review: This is a riveting Military drama that works as a human drama as well. Director Edward Zwick (Glory, Legends of the Fall) has made something special here as what could have been a routine story takes on depth and a sense of honor and history as this routine investigation into the death of the first female officer killed in combat turns into a marshy quicksand of lies and deception about the events leading to her death. Lieutenant Colonel Nathaniel Serling (Denzel Washington) is assigned the task of signing off on the details so Captain Karen Walden (Meg Ryan) can be given the Medal of Honor for her sacrifice. But as Serling begins to talk to the crew of soldiers who went down with Walden in the Medivac helicopter over Kuwait he becomes unsure whether or not she deserves it. It is not any kind of preconceptions about women in combat that prompts his misgivings but his conversations with those involved. Michael Moriarty gives a fine performance as Serlings superior and old friend Brigadier General Hershberg. The President wants to give Walden this honor and the pressure is great on Serling to hurry up and sign off on the investigation. Ilario (Matt Damon) was the closest to Walden personally and he seems just a little to scared of the investigation to Serling. Lou Diamond Phillips gives the performance of his career as the hard edged Sgt. Monfriez, a Military lifer with a chip on his shoulder who thinks Serling is there to whitewash what happened and will tell him nothing. Denzel Washington gives another great performance as the flawed Lieutenant Colonel Serling, whose attempt to get at the truth may cost him his career. Scott Glenn has a nice turn in this quietly powerful drama as a reporter who smells a big story. This film is about honor and integrity and human weakness. The flashback scenes are riveting as each soldier tells his 'version' of events. When Serling finally uncovers the truth, which is quite different from the offical version, it still remains a story of courage under fire. Though Denzel gets most of the screen time Meg Ryan holds her own and equals him. Her moments on screen paint a portrait of a very real person who served her country bravely and with honor. This film slowly draws you in until you are glued to the screen, waiting for the truth to come out. It is a testemant to honor and sacrifice by our military, whatever the circumstances. If you don't own this film you'll want to pick it up soon. It's one you'll watch more than once.
Rating: 
Summary: The Gulf War Via Intelligent Flashbacks
Review: This is an action movie with big-name stars but no flying cows, exploding chewing gum or invading aliens. Not that smashing special effects aren't cool. It's just that Courage Under Fire, while reconnoitering some previous military movie terrain, demonstrates the potency of a film that's well acted and directed and tells a solid story. To wit: An Army officer (Washington) relentlessly searches out the truth about what happened the night a medical-evacuation pilot (Ryan) and her crew got trapped behind enemy lines during the Gulf War. The pilot, who died in action, has been nominated for a posthumous Medal of Honor, but as Washington interviews the men who served under her, he finds worrisome discrepancies in their accounts of the episode. (The movie, tipping its helmet to Rashomon, shows each survivor's differing version in flashback.) What gives the story its greater resonance is the fact that Washington is a man questioning his own honor, having mistakenly given an order to fire on his own men during the Gulf War. Washington is excellent, nicely underplaying his big scenes and ably conveying a righteous man currently ill at ease with himself. Ryan, seen only in the flashbacks, is convincingly gritty. In supporting roles as members of Ryan's crew, Phillips and, especially, Damon are standouts. Courage is unfailingly intelligent. It is as moving as you suspect director Ed Zwick (Glory) thinks it is. The script is logical and compelling, its pieces fitting together like Lincoln Logs. Yet, this one indeed rewards the adult in us.
Rating: 
Summary: Very very good--timeless!
Review: This is one of the best movies I've ever seen. With an award-winning cast, Courage Under Fire is the story of one crash, one captain (Meg Ryan as "Karen Walden"), one crew, and one man (Denzel Washington as "Nat Serling") sent to investigate it all as a process of his own redemption. Thinking the search is an easy, open-and-shut case, he is ordered to detirmine whether Captain Walden is worthy of the Medal of Honor. But he finds many complications--all too familiar, and similar to his own past mistakes in Desert Storm. Eventually, a questionable story is untangled, the truth is known, and a medal won.
Rating:
Summary: This is one excellent film!
Review: This movie blends patriotism with an intriguing mystery: What really happened during the course of this war? Denzel Washington plays the man who is trying to find out just under what circumstances a Captain, played very well by Meg Ryan, dies in the line of duty. 'Courage Under Fire' consists mostly of flashbacks to the same night in the war, with each flashback differing, depending on which character is describing the events. This is a wonderful film that very much appreciates the nobility of honorable military service.
Rating:
Summary: A well-produced movie with good acting
Review: This movie has all the aspects of a hit for years to come--cinematography, a compelling storyline, good acting, and a great soundtrack by James Horner. The editing was shabby, though--listen to the dialogue at the beginning of the movie, and then at the end when it is "played back" on tape--the words are strikingly different.
Rating:
Summary: Loved it!
Review: This movie is great. Great acting, great battle scenes and very realistic. I've seen it 3 times and I can't wait to see it again.
Rating:
Summary: Great film, without the left-wing agenda.
Review: This was a fantastic film. Great acting , great plot. However what is most enjoyable is that it is not full of liberal, anti-war, anti-military, anti-Bush hogwash. The film talks about honor and duty without a sneer. Also while the Gulf War is the setting of the film it is not commented on in negative or positive ways. It is simply a historical event, against which a fantastic drama is set and in which compelling characters interact.
Rating:
Summary: Simply GREAT!
Review: This was one of the best movies I have ever seen! Meg was incredible, and Denzel was too! So many different story lines...... One of the best!
Rating:
Summary: POWERHOUSE MILITARY MYSTERY STUDDED WITH TOP-CLASS ACTS
Review: War movies rarely acknowledge fatal blunders alongside the typical nimble strategies all in the same vein, much less in the same individual. Courage Under Fire manages that with an effortless tapestry of morality, valour and honour.
Apart from such sheer emotional freight, it even manages to counch a discreet message about the quirks of real wars and their very human aftermath. There are points in the film where both the Iraqi and the American soldiers look almost indistinguishable. Fighting nations with crunch budgets is a complex enterprise with a variety of perspectives.
There is much to say about the plot's setup, it's spectacular. Denzel is heads and shoulders above everyone else but the performances are excellent all-round. Matt Damon seemed to have lost half his weight to fit into the role. Meg Ryan is very convincing for her irregular turn as a leathery war woman. But above all, I was particularly astonished by the confident pizzazz of Lou Diamond Phillips, his explosive cameo is one of the most unforgettable sequences.
With its highly realistic battle scenes, fast-paced screenplay and a solid heart , Courage Under Fire is a top class production, regardless of the qualms regarding nationalistic or gender messages that other critics bloviate about. My theory that you cannot go terribly wrong with anything that involves Denzel still remains intact.
Rating:
Summary: Courage Under Fire
Review: Well acted, tight battle scenes. For the military buff,along with Three Kings, this movies is one of the few opportunities to see the military in action in the Persian Gulf. Much better battle action here than in Three Kings. The movie picks up momentum as it presents the perspectives of the survivors. Watch for an early Matt Damon as a post battle druggie torn by guilt. As usual, Denzel Washington is excellent and Meg Ryan was unexpectedly believable as the unit commander under fire. Who would have thought that she could play tough? All in all, an enjoyable movie.
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