Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1
Audience Rating: R (Restricted)
Binding: DVD
Brand: STOP-LOSS (DVD MOVIE)
EAN: 0097363476542
Format: Widescreen
Item Dimensions: Array
Label: Paramount / MTV
Languages: Array
Manufacturer: Paramount / MTV
MPN: 347654
Number Of Items: 1
Publisher: Paramount / MTV
Region Code: 1
Release Date: 2008-07-08
Running Time: 111
Studio: Paramount / MTV
Theatrical Release Date: 2008-03-29

Decorated Iraq war hero Sgt. Brandon King (Ryan Phillippe) makes a celebrated return to his small Texas hometown following his tour of duty. He tries to resume the life he left behind with the help and support of his family and his best friend Steve Shriver (Channing Tatum) who served with him in Iraq. Along with their other war buddies Brandon and Steve try to make peace with civilian life. Then against Brandon s will the Army orders him back to duty in Iraq which upends his world. The conflict tests everything he believes in: the bond of family the loyalty of friendship the limits of love and the value of honor.System Requirements:Running Time: 111 minutesFormat: DVD MOVIE Genre: DRAMA/MILITARY & WAR Rating: R UPC: 097363476542 Manufacturer No: 347654
Kimberly Peirce's long-hatching follow-up to Boys Don't Cry is another issue-driven look at its era: Stop-Loss hinges on U.S. military policy allowing Iraq War soldiers to be returned to combat even after their official hitches are up. In this case, a band of brothers return to home turf in Brazos, Texas, only to discover that team leader Brandon King (Ryan Phillippe) has gotten a Stop-Loss order to head back to the Middle East. After some flavorful sketches of small-town Texas life and the awkwardness of re-adjustment, the movie somewhat clumsily hits the road, where there's more wheel-spinning than deep insight. Peirce and co. seem to want to hit all the Iraq War bases, which may be one reason the film lacks a strong focus. Supporting soldiers Channing Tatum and Joseph Gordon-Levitt are rather more interesting than Phillippe's brooding hero, and Abbie Cornish is stuck in a thankless town-between-two-lovers storyline. It's sincere as all get-out, but Stop-Loss feels like a project that began with an issue and a cause, rather than compelling characters. --Robert Horton

Customer Rating:
Summary: An Arm, A Leg & An Eye
Comment: Director Kimberley Peirce keeps the pace going well in this film about US soldier fighting in Iraq who find that they are being returned to active duty via the stop-loss clause. Ryan Philippe has been in a number of films that I like such as Crash (Widescreen Edition), Flags of Our Fathers (Widescreen Edition), Chaos & Breach (Widescreen Edition). As Sgt. Brandon King, he is the squad leader who looks forward to concluding his military service after experiencing the death of his fellow soldiers.

The homecoming sequences speak of soldiers who have suffered Post Traumatic Stress and the confusion of their families who do not quite know how to deal with wounded spirits, minds and bodies. Channing Tatum from She's the Man (Widescreen Edition) & Supercross does an excellent job as the confused soldier. The scene where he digs a trench in his front yard and totes a gun around is scary. Australian actress Abbie Cornish who was in Elizabeth - The Golden Age (Widescreen Edition) does a credible job with the American accent as the girl who befriends Brandon and dumps Steve when he reenlists. Joseph Gordon-Levitt who is familiar from TV's "Third Rock from the Sun" plays Tommy Burges who gets so crazy that he gets booted out of the service even though he wants to stay in. Timothy Olyphant who was great as the lead in Hitman (Unrated Edition) plays Lt. Col. Boot Miller and talks the company line to his soldiers. His decision to throw Brandon King into the brig ignites King's escape and sets up the last two-thirds of the film. Meryl Streep's daughter Mamie Gummer plays Tommy's wife and does well graveside. Gummer did an excellent job in Evening and shines in this small role. Linda Emond who was in Across the Universe (Two-Disc Special Edition) & North Country (Widescreen Edition) is very sympathetic and loyal to her son Brandon as his mother Ida King. Veteran actor Ciaran Hinds plays Brandon's father Roy. Victor Rasuk has an outstanding cameo as the injured Rico Rodriguez who loses an arm, a leg and his vision.

Yes, there are politics about the war that the film addresses. The film reflects that war is an awful experience. Our fighting men and women are put into hellish circumstances that no father nor mother would wish on their children, but which world events prove necessary. In a democracy such as ours, the people can change course or stay the course on Election Day. I don't think you can fault the President for doing what he feels is appropriate or the soldiers who fight the war. The ultimate responsibility is with the American people. Ultimately this conflict is their choice IMHO. However, "Stop-Loss" is not politics. It deals in an artful manner with the consequences of war. It does it honestly, even-handedly & with some excellent acting talent. The DVD extra deleted scenes were interesting to watch. The ending did not seem to fit the rest of the film, however. It was as if the screenwirter or producer insisted that the film shift gears rather than letting the film conclude in a natural organic way. Enjoy!

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Customer Rating:
Summary: Check your politics at the door and enjoy the performance
Comment: The film has an anti-war message and it appears to me that most reviewers seem to love it or hate it depending on whether they agree with that message. Try to put your politics aside and just appreciate this film as a first-rate piece of cinematic art with powerful performances by the entire cast. There is not one weak performance. I also urge those who are obsessed with military technical accuracy to put their quibbles aside. I was a cold-war era anti-submarine warrior and I can't watch "The Hunt for Red October" without being mildly annoyed by some technical inaccuracies, but it's still one of my favorite films.

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Customer Rating:
Summary: Hidden knowledge of treatment of American Soldiers in the East.
Comment: I had no idea what the term STOP LOSS meant. When I watched this movie, which I felt was excellent, I cried at the treatment of our young men and women in Iraq. So many suffer from Post Traumatic Stress Syndrom and need help but don't get it and they also suffer the inequalities of a Government they volunteered to help for a limited amount of time. I fear this is another Vietnam. Watch for the similarities the soldiers suffer from the two wars and worse consequences with the Iraqi War.

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Customer Rating:
Summary: Liberal Anti-Military Garbage
Comment: This movie is just more anti-liberal garbage that attacks our military. I know three young men in the military who have been to Iraq and Afghanistan for multiple tours each. They volunteered for military service and are serving their country with pride. It is too bad that anti-American film-makers portray our brave young men in such a bad light. This is just not what are boys are like. This movie was the worst I have ever seen because it is no more than a cheap political statement against our country.

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Customer Rating:
Summary: Good but not great
Comment: Stop Loss tried hard to get the emotional impact of fighting in Iraq right, and I think they succeeded in that. Where the movie falls down is when the soldiers get back to Texas, and are being phased out of the Army. That crucial part of the movie did not ring true, nor did the ending, which I won't give away. I can't believe the Army would be so cavalier as to have a low level clerk tell a decorated non-com they are being stop lossed. That news should have been delivered by the platoon leader. But I could be wrong - maybe the Army is that cold blooded. Other than that, this movie was solid although it could have done without the requisite bar scenes, and the movie lost continuity when it shifted twice during critical scenes back to the secondary stories of those who were not impacted by the stop loss. Too bad this movie didn't get wider play -it is an indictment of the Bush Administration trying to keep up our troop level committments without resorting to a draft.

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