Rating: 
Summary: The Greatest War Film of the Last Decade
Review: Along with Apocalypse Now and Full Metal Jacket, Casualties of War is one of the finest films about the Vietnam war. It should not, however, be viewed in the format available on VHS cassette, which is panned and scanned (at times, half of the image is missing). Like all De Palma films, it ideally should be viewed in a theater on a huge screen with stereo sound in order to achieve its full, emotionally draining, and audio-visually stunning impact. Since that opportunity won't come very soon for most people, wait until it comes out on DVD, at least so that you can get the letterboxed image and digital sound. Fox, Penn, Leguizamo, Reilly and the rest of the cast give memorable, at times haunting performances. Morricone's thoughtful score is exquisitely, operatically dramatic. And De Palma, muting some of his more baroque techniques, neverthless continues to explore his recurrent thematic concerns, pushing them to their logical conclusions in a war genre that is new to him only in environment if not in spirit (most of his films are about violent atrocities perpetrated by men). The film failed at the box office when it was released in theaters, probably because it disturbed audiences who wanted a friendlier vision of Vietnam, in which American soldiers were at least martyrs, if not heroes (such as Platoon, Born on the 4th of July, Coming Home, and the like). Other viewers complained that De Palma made his film too late in the Vietnam cycle, that his film retold a too familiar story. But this criticism is actually one of the film's merits and intentions: the first act travels the conventions of earlier Vietnam films that had become cliches (the Audy Murphy heroics, the wise black grunt, the male bonding of the platoon, and so on), only to explode them (and thus disrupt many of the viewer's expectations and foil their pleasure). Instead, De Palma turns to the horror of the rape in the second act as new ground other films had been too timid to cover. There are scenes in this portion that moved me to tears of horror and pity. While the third and last act is somewhat schematic, it provides the necessary moral weight for what precedes it. And the ending suggests that the nightmare of Vietnam, rather than absolved (a misreading on the part of many critics), has been imported back to San Francisco where images such as palm trees and young Asian women will forever trigger flashbacks of despair. For those who feel De Palma is incapable of such emotion, this film puts that misconception to rest.
Rating:
Summary: A cinematic opera. Absolutely brilliant
Review: An enduring statement about the conflicts that exist between morality and circumstance, character and expediancy, steadfastness and complacency, and the war that each of us has to fight for ourselves in our own minds during times of trouble.Great performances from Penn (as usual) and a very (unexpectedly) believable Michael J Fox. The real question is what and who are the real Casualties of war? Not to be missed.
Rating: 
Summary: War Crimes Moving Worth Seeing Once
Review: Basically this film scores average for being a very half-witted 1 hour war movie, 20 minute crime movie and a 5 minute court room drama instead of being a 1 hour court room movie, 20 minute crime movie and a 5 minute war movie.
The reson why it scores more than two stars is because there is an interesting cast (Fight Club extra appear here, John C. Reilly, John Leguizamo and Ving Rhames) that put up a very good act including Sean Penn who acts everyone else around the block, making Fox look a little out of his depth here... and in many ways he is (the boy from Back to the Future just doesnt work here) but the child-like features of Fox are used to make us feel sad... but in reality does not have to be there considering the nature of the movie (war sex crimes). We simply dont need Fox doing the drama thing with tears in his eyes to tell how to feel about what we are seeing.
To be honest it is worth seeing once, just to comprehend that these things do go on, this did happen and that adult criminal sadists can work for the military also. Here the pack mentality of war crimes is on show for the most of it but it would have been a much better court room drama told flashback style.
In short - misdirection of a worthy topic.
Rating: 
Summary: the only movie to take American evil as its subject
Review: Brian De Palma took advantage of the post-Platoon glasnost to put this mini-My Lai centre-stage, and made Casualties of War the only Vietnam film to make American evil its subject. Though he softened its horrors after appalled previews, it was a flop, of course. No surprise to all non-Americans. An important movie, shunned by too many Americans.
Rating:
Summary: One Dimension of War
Review: Brian de Palma's film is based on a true incident during the war in Vietnam, in which some G.I.s decided to "reward" themselves for their efforts with a South Vietnamese girl, whom they proceeded to [attack], torture, and murder. Michael Fox is good as the "good guy"; Sean Penn is better as the leader of the pack. All roles suffer from one-dimensionality.
Rating:
Summary: Disturbing war movie packs an emotional wallop
Review: CASUALTIES OF WAR (USA 1989): During a routine field trip at the height of the Vietnam War, a young soldier (Michael J. Fox) rebels against his commanding officer (Sean Penn) and other members of his patrol when they kidnap a defenceless Vietnamese girl (Thuy Thu Le) and subject her to a terrifying physical ordeal. Unfairly overshadowed by the simultaneous theatrical release of Oliver Stone's pompous (but still impressive) BORN ON THE FOURTH OF JULY (1989), Brian DePalma's CASUALTIES OF WAR recreates a harrowing incident from the Vietnam conflict - first reported in 'New Yorker' magazine in 1969 - in which a group of otherwise decent men succumbed to their own worst impulses and committed a terrible crime. Filmed with typical cinematic bravado by master craftsman DePalma, the movie uses every inch of the scope frame to convey both the duality of the landscape (vast swathes of breathtaking countryside, where sudden death lurks around every corner) and the moral vacuum which stretches the two central characters (Fox and Penn) to breaking point. Crafted with blistering simplicity by screenwriter David Rabe (himself a Vietnam veteran and author of the acclaimed stageplay 'Streamers'), the soldiers are depicted as brave individuals whose principles have been shattered by their traumatic combat experiences, leaving Fox to essay the role of peacemaker in a world where all the rules have been turned upside down. Thu Le - a model with no prior acting experience - is truly heartbreaking as the soldiers' terrified prisoner, and her ultimate fate is so horrific (arguably the most disturbing set-piece of this director's entire career), many viewers will be too appalled to see the film through to its inevitable conclusion. All in all, this uncompromising gaze into the abyss of human depravity packs a tremendous emotional wallop, and emerges as one of DePalma's strongest films to date. The movie runs 113m 25s on Columbia TriStar's region 1 DVD, which letterboxes the wide Panavision frame at 2.35:1, anamorphically enhanced - try to see it on a 16:9 monitor. Released to most theaters in standard Dolby Stereo (reproduced here in 2.0 surround), the film was also given a 6-channel discrete mix for selected venues (in 70mm, blown-up from 35mm), and that version is recreated here in a vivid Dolby 5.1 presentation. Extras include a number of deleted scenes and a series of recently-filmed interviews with key personnel (including DePalma and Fox), many of which contain major spoilers, so be warned. A trailer is included, along with English captions and subtitles.
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Summary: Truth is more Shocking than Fiction
Review: Casualties of War is a unique film. There are many films that depict wartime atrocities. This one stands above the rest because of it's character development. We get to know the guilty parties, and they are not purely evil, but are in many ways quite ordinary. They seem like regular US GI's at first, just trying to survive day by day. Sean Penn's character (Sgt Meserve) leads them into an abyss, and only one of them (Eriksson, played by Micheal J Fox) refuses to enter. The others commit murder and rape, while Eriksson cringes. The separate perpetrators display trepidation, anxiousness, remorse and the lack thereof. Other characters exhibit cynicism and callousness. Their victim shows her fear alone. This film is effective because it shows all but one of the soldiers as having different and human sides. Eriksson and Diaz (John Leguizamo) know that what is happening is wrong, but one fails to stop it, and the other participates. Meserve comes up with absurd lies to try to justify what they are doing, not only for Eriksson, but for the others, and it seems even for himself. Only one character in this film (Clark) is completely inhuman. His sadistic fervor and amoral smugness makes him appear as a monster, plain and simple. This film is effective because it shows seemingly normal men in a descent into utter barbarism. Thuy Thu Le sets the mood for this by portraying the terror of their victim so well. Sympathy for the victim will surely make anyone cringe. But, it is by showing that the perpetrators, except Clark, are like most anyone that this film has its' strongest affect. How would we each fare if faced by such a situation? Who among us would stand against it? Who would succumb to it? This film strikes deeper than any horror film, with obviously inhuman monsters. It shows real people who become monsters, and is therefore vastly more effective- even more so because it all really happened.
Rating: 
Summary: Casualty of Brian De Palma
Review: CASUALTIES OF WAR is one of many Vietnam War movies that came out in the late 80's as a result of the success of PLATOON. Unfortunately, it is one of the weakest. It's one of those movies that has a great premise (and cast - Michael J Fox and Sean Penn) but it is poor in it's final execution. By orders of Sgt Meserve (Penn) as retaliation to the death of his friend during combat, a U.S. platoon raids a village and kidnap a vietnamese girl. Then they take turns raping and eventually kill the girl. One of the platoon, Private Errikson (Fox) refuses to participate, and even goes as far to report the incident to his superiors. However, in typical twist of military fate and honor, he is branded as a traitor and is threatened by his the men in his platoon. Errikson/Fox endures a multitude of harrassment and is even almost killed. In some documentation of the making of this film, it was reported that Fox was unhappy with his character's lack of retaliation during the hazing sequences when he is branded a snitch. Fox had suggested to the director, De Palma, the scene where Pvt Errikson hits Pvt Clark (actor Don Harvey-EIGHT MEN OUT)in the face with a shovel out of frustration after an attempt is made on his life with a grenade. The story is based on a true account, however, the movie does not justify the end means. Penn's character is not unlikeable at all and very scary. Fox is always a presence, but perhaps the brutality and meaningless of what is done to the girl is not watchable as the Vietnam War itself is all ready a contoversial subject. To put this scenario in the forefront of what is all ready an unpleasant theme validates the proverbial "two-wrongs-don't-make-right".
Rating:
Summary: A true story told with flaws
Review: Casualties of War, despites some of its flaws, is quite faithful to the original text which was a true story. Not many people realize that "Sven Eriksson" is a real person who actually experienced much of what Michael J. Fox's character went through in the movie. But does it work as a movie? For the most part, yes. The two glaring problems with Casualties is the ending and some of the soundtrack music which DePalma uses to excess. The ending, as it's explained within the DVD extras, is purposely presented as uplifting. We see Eriksson on a San Francisco BART train awaking from his bad dream/memories. He sees a girl who could be the one who was murdered and raped in Vietnam. He calls out the Vietnamese girl's name. The woman responds that he must have had a bad dream, but it's all over now. And then we get the "uplifting" music that rises to a crescendo. Upon viewing the movie for a second time this ending is particularly bad. DePalma argues in the DVD extras that this positive ending was meant as a way to give the audience some relief. However, it's so hammy that it belittles the true story that precedes it. It's all a dream, it's all over, everything is now OK. But everything is not OK and everything is not over. Which brings me to the one thing that this DVD should have offered - more information about the true story behind the movie. Why not go to Vietnam and show where the incidents actually took place? "Eriksson" is actually a pseudonym of the real man who has apparently been in hiding due to death threats from the men he helped put in prison. How about some more information about where these men are today? Perhaps nothing more can be offered about Eriksson, but at least we could have been shown in the DVD what happened to the men who committed the crimes. I give the DVD five stars because this story is important. Americans so quickly forget these kinds of true stories. We quickly sweep them under the rug and say it doesn't matter. Casualties helps brings us back to reality, albeitly in a rather flawed manner.
Rating:
Summary: A true story told with flaws
Review: Casualties of War, despites some of its flaws, is quite faithful to the original text which was a true story. Not many people realize that "Sven Eriksson" is a real person who actually experienced much of what Michael J. Fox's character went through in the movie. But does it work as a movie? For the most part, yes. The two glaring problems with Casualties is the ending and some of the soundtrack music which DePalma uses to excess. The ending, as it's explained within the DVD extras, is purposely presented as uplifting. We see Eriksson on a San Francisco BART train awaking from his bad dream/memories. He sees a girl who could be the one who was murdered and raped in Vietnam. He calls out the Vietnamese girl's name. The woman responds that he must have had a bad dream, but it's all over now. And then we get the "uplifting" music that rises to a crescendo. Upon viewing the movie for a second time this ending is particularly bad. DePalma argues in the DVD extras that this positive ending was meant as a way to give the audience some relief. However, it's so hammy that it belittles the true story that precedes it. It's all a dream, it's all over, everything is now OK. But everything is not OK and everything is not over. Which brings me to the one thing that this DVD should have offered - more information about the true story behind the movie. Why not go to Vietnam and show where the incidents actually took place? "Eriksson" is actually a pseudonym of the real man who has apparently been in hiding due to death threats from the men he helped put in prison. How about some more information about where these men are today? Perhaps nothing more can be offered about Eriksson, but at least we could have been shown in the DVD what happened to the men who committed the crimes. I give the DVD five stars because this story is important. Americans so quickly forget these kinds of true stories. We quickly sweep them under the rug and say it doesn't matter. Casualties helps brings us back to reality, albeitly in a rather flawed manner.
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