Rent Casualties of War (1989)

Tough Underrated Vietnam Film - Casualties of War review by GI

A tough and uncompromising story of the destruction of morality caused by war. Hailed by Quentin Tarantino as one of the greatest Vietnam war films it tells the story of a five man patrol, all young men, led by Sergeant Meserve (Sean Penn), who kidnap a young Vietnamese farm girl from her home, take her into the bush where they rape and murder her. One of the men, Pfc Eriksson (Michael J. Fox), refuses to participate and is threatened by the others particularly Meserve. When they return to base Ericsson is determined to get justice for the girl but finds his senior officers just want to bury the incident. Supposedly based on real events this is a moving and frightening film with realistic combat and at its centre a vicious crime. As a story of how war, and in particular the Vietnam War, erodes emotional stability and destroys innocence in the young men sent to fight it is unparalleled. This is mostly embodied in the character of Meserve, a 20 year old NCO who has lost all sense of moral boundary, although Penn's portrayal is so scary that you can read that he was potentially capable of such crimes before being exposed to the horror of war. Penn captures his psychotic nature and his deep rooted cowardice in a very nuanced performance and Fox is excellent in a serious role that he nails perfectly. This is a film about brutality and of one man standing against many to do what's right. It has often been overshadowed by more celebrated Vietnam films such as Platoon (1986) and Full Metal Jacket (1987) but it deserves it's place as a key film about a war that America is still trying to come to terms with. A must see film.