I recently reviewed another film which had echoes of 'Rashomon' [Aside: the classic film directed by Akira Kurosawa way back in 1950] so I thought I'd add another... In 'Rashomon', witnesses to an event give conflicting accounts – and so it is with 'Courage Under Fire'. Here, Meg Ryan is being considered for the Medal Of Honor, the USA's highest award for bravery, sort of like the Victoria Cross, for her actions in the first Gulf War in 1991. Denzel Washington, who has his own demons, investigates and resolves the conflicting descriptions. What he uncovers does not reflect well on the members of Meg Ryan's crew, but she did act with conspicuous bravery and deserves the award. Generally I enjoy films with Denzel Washington and this one is no exception – but the US-centric story and the (to me) over-the-top patriotism rankled a little. The acting is good, the storyline good, the film good. But it's not excellent, so I'll give it 3/5 stars. Watch it if you like Denzel Washington or want to see an Matt Damon in a fairly early role.
I enjoyed this movie. Good mix of action and psychological issues. Denzel Washington was great in the role.