An Iraq war hero returns home and tries to re-integrate in to society...only for the Army to come calling once more.
It's been almost a decade since director Kimberly Pierce traumatised a generation with her harrowing, devastatingly powerful biopic of tragic transsexual Teena Brandon in 'Boys Don"t Cry'. She returns with an MTV produced, Iraq war film focused on the stop-loss policy: where the U.S. government, in the face of an unpopular, amoral and increasingly desperate conflict, sends soldiers who've completed their contractual tours of duty, back into battle. One such solider is Texan good ole boy Sgt. Brandon King (an on form Ryan Philippe), still wracked with guilt for a fatal blunder in Tikrit (shown in the well directed, 'Three Kings' style opening) he's forced to return to Iraq by order of the Bush administration: "With all due respect: F**k the president" comes his apt and succinct reply, but that's about as political as 'Stop-Loss' is prepared to get, for the rest of the movie follows Brandon and friend Michele (Abbey 'Candy' Cornish) on a road trip to meet some senator Brandon naively thinks will help him. Meanwhile, we're left to witness the soul destroying, PTSD ('Post Traumatic Stress Disorder') that afflicts his comrades; played with aplomb by Channing Tatum ('Step Up') and the excellent Joseph Gordon Levit ('Brick'). In many ways, 'Stop-Loss' actually does somewhat of a disservice to Texans, who aren't all clueless, beer sodden, Baptism happy, lickspittle hicks. After all, lets not forget broadcast journalist & groundbreaking documentary filmmaker Alex Jones, who exposed the truth about 9/11 ('9/11: The Road To Tyranny' & 'Terrorstrom') and secretly filmed those highly disturbing, Satanic rituals of the Anglo-American-Israeli elite at 'Bohemian Grove' ('Dark Secrets: Inside Bohemian Grove') is from Austin, Texas whilst some of the most pointed, informed indictments of the Bush clan's criminal legacy are put forward by Texans who've known them for a lot longer than anyone else. 'Stop-Loss' is more a collection of good scenes than a movie which works as a whole; you'll remember Levit's violent breakdown or Tatum's inability to let go of automated routine, wince as Philippe's badly injured brother-in-arms jokes that he's prepared to go back; as his death will grant his family green cards and so on, however, 'Stop-Loss' is at a loss when it comes addressing the wider implications of the war itself or the fraudulent nature of how it all began. And by failing to confront such pertinent issues, inadvertently suggests that plebeians have no scope to think beyond their immediate set of circumstances hence leaning towards an outmoded, perhaps even Althussain, confirmation of society as predicable slave to the Ideological State Apparatuses (i.e. only being able to think within dictated paradigms). The ending is a cop out, though I suppose we have to take into account that Pierce's brother is currently serving in Iraq thus, to an extent, its to be expected. 'Harsh Times' did a better job of depicting the veteran's struggle at home, but what about the troops? Well as 'The Violent Femmes' once sang: "you know you got my sympathy; but don't shoot, shoot, shoot that thing at me" (or anyone else for that matter) for you'll often find yourself wondering: 'Haven't any of these people ever heard of conscientious objection', and isn't a year in stockade better than a lifetime of guilt or being complicit in an imperial misadventure that'll go down in history as one of the first war crimes of the 21st century? You'll wish all these characters would come together, not on the battlefield or at the bar, but in world famous Texas movie theatre 'The Alamo Draft house' and watch an Alex Jones documentary, read a book that isn't propaganda or simply examine the evidence in a sober and rational manner. You'll probably want to do for them what Tim Robbins Andy Dufresne did for the inmates at 'Shawshank', for make no mistake; these troops are mercilessly indoctrinated, psychological hostages to Zionist banality and Orwellian misinformation. 'Stop-Loss' is an earnest, presumably well meaning picture that simply hasn't got to grips with the reality on the ground: The Anglo-American-Israeli invasions & occupations of Iraq and Afghanistan, have seen more AWOL and conscientious objection cases from the U.S. military than any other conflicts in the recorded history of human civilisation, and I'd rather see a film about those who've made that choice, than someone whose dithering. 'Stop-Loss' is worth seeing once, but its no 'Redacted'.
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Thought-provoking war drama starring Ryan Phillippe. Sgt. Brandon King (Phillippe) has just returned to his hometown in Texas after serving in Iraq. With the support of his family and best friend, Steve Shriver (Channing Tatum), Brandon tries to settle back into normal life. However, his world is turned upside down when the Army orders him back to duty in Iraq. Suddenly thrust back into active service, the disillusioned war veteran begins to question not only his ties to family and friends, but also his capacity for love and sense of honour.
Please note this is a region 2 DVD and will require a region 2 (Europe) or region Free DVD Player in order to play. Drama about the controversial statue now used by the US Defense Department to extend soldier's combat time.
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