While many of the Hollywood films about the Vietnam War depict Americans as the good guys, there are a few that depict the less savory side. One such film includes Casualties of War, which depicts some of the real life atrocities that occurred at the time. Director Brian De Palma brings his signature flourish to throw fresh-faced Michael J. Fox into the brutality, having him to face the frustration of the troops and the ensuing cruelty they inflicted as a result. It’s a harrowing watch, especially as Fox’s career-best performance depicts an innocence lost, but it was a needed one. While a departure from De Palma’s usual works, Casualties of War confronted a deeper, more realistic horror that emerged in this tough time in history.
"Some movies... can leave us feeling simultaneously elated and wiped out. Overwhelmed, we may experience a helpless anger if we hear people mock them or poke holes in them in order to dismiss them. The new Casualties of War has this kind of purity."
— Pauline Kael
"Casualties of War is the strongest, the simplest and the most painful of all the Vietnam movies because it isn't about how terrible it is not to understand what's going on around us -- it's about the agony of seeing terrible things too clearly."
— Terrence Rafferty
During the Vietnam War, a soldier finds himself the outsider of his own squad when they unnecessarily kidnap a female villager.
Golden Globes
1 nomination
NYFCC
1 nomination
