Directed by: Kimberly Peirce
Starring: Ryan Phillippe, Channing Tatum, Abbie Cornish, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Timothy Olyphant
The aisles of multiplexes have of late been littered with box-office duds focusing on the Iraq war. Take last year’s Lions for Lambs, Rendition, In the Valley of Elah and Brian De Palma’s Redacted, which never even came to town. Kimberly Peirce’s Stop-Loss tries to buck that trend by aiming squarely for an MTV audience (the cable channel even produced the film), while never taking a completely firm stance on the war itself. Judging by the movie’s eighth-place finish in this past weekend’s box office, it doesn’t seem much has changed.
The term “stop-loss” refers to the military’s practice of forcing soldiers back to war after their tour of duty has ended, and Peirce uses this as a framework to examine how the war affects the soldiers themselves, eschewing any greater political message. The film follows Brandon (Ryan Phillippe), a soldier who has just returned home after finishing what was to be his final tour in Iraq before immediately being stop-lossed. Brandon still holds some guilt for leading his men into an ambush where some were killed or disfigured and civilians died. Instead of returning to Iraq, he somehow—off camera, mind you—sneaks off a military base and goes AWOL. The film then turns into a sort of implausible road-trip movie, in which Brandon leaves his native Texas in an attempt to make it to Washington, D.C., to speak with his local senator (Josef Sommer, The Invasion).
All of this is meant to study the soldiers, not just their reactions to being in combat, but also their sense of duty and honor. The movie is less about the war and more a criticism on the practices of the military. Peirce is obviously making a movie about the troops, while attempting to avoid stating whether or not she’s for or against the war. Sure, there are a number of criticisms leveled against the administration, along with the requisite “horrors of war” (every character suffers from some sort of post-traumatic stress disorder). But this is all negated in the film’s final scene and by the jingoistic mentality of many of the film’s characters—such as the “bomb them back into the Stone Age” attitude of Brandon’s best friend and fellow soldier, Steve (Channing Tatum, Step Up).
The idea of making a thoughtful film where both sides of the war are shown, while ultimately leaving the movie’s message up to the viewer, is perfectly fine in theory. But in the case of Stop-Loss, it doesn’t work in practice. The film’s basic structure is problematic. It never seems to know where it wants to go, literally meandering about the country as Brandon and Steve’s girlfriend, Michelle (Abbie Cornish, Elizabeth: The Golden Age), drive from Texas to Tennessee, halfway back to Texas, up to New York City and then back to Texas, all in what appears to be the span of a few days. Then there are the contrivances the film is built around, like a scuffle between Brandon and some thugs that’s simply there to once again remind the audience that Brandon hasn’t been quite right since after the war. Or take Brandon’s chance encounter with a fellow soldier who just happens to be AWOL in the exact same hotel in the middle of nowhere.
Despite all of this, the film might have worked if there had been a cast member who could have carried the film, but the performances range from the middling to the borderline embarrassing, complete with fake Texas accents (the kind that make James Van Der Beek’s in Varsity Blues (1999) sound authentic) serving as nothing more than a distraction. Anyone waiting for a movie to kick the moviegoing public out of their malaise surrounding the war is going to have to wait a little bit longer. Stop-Loss doesn’t appear to be it. Rated R for graphic violence and pervasive language.
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It’s interesting to note that this is Kimberly Pierce’s first film after the powerful BOYS DON’T CRY, which I believe came out in 1999. I still want to see it, but the film might have gotten muddled by MTV and endless focus groups. |
 Apr 03, 2008 at |
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I can’t seem to find any reason why there is that nine year gap in between films. I’d be curious to know why, but I can’t seem to find any info on what she was up to between films, other than an episode of THE L WORD and an attempted adaptation of Dave Eggers’ A HEARTBREAKING WORK OF STAGGERING GENIUS that was announced four-and-a-half years ago and—I assume—fell through. It’s also hard to say how MTV-ized the movie is, though I’d have to say the on screen talent is about on par with their usual fare—not to mention the beefcake factor. But I think the thing that’s most glaring—or at least obnoxious—in an MTV kind of way is the movie’s terrible, abominable soundtrack. |
Apr 03, 2008 |
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I haven’t seen this—and may not—even though the whole topic of the anti-war film and its rough reception recently fascinates me (not sure this quite quaifies), especially since there’s apparently less and less public support for the war in question. Aside from that, you know, there’s really no reason the onscreen talent should have necessarily been a factor. The star of perhaps the greatest of all anti-war movies, ALL QUIET ON THE WESTERN FRONT (1930), was 21 when the movie was started. (Legend has it that that his parents had to sign his contract for him, being only 20 when he was given the role.) And Ayres is perfect for his role and actually close to the right age for the character. Plus, in 1930 terms he’d probably qualify as beefcake. OK, so Ryan Philippe and Channing Tatum (who named this guy?) are pretty vapid in general, but Joseph Gordon-Levitt isn’t. |
Apr 03, 2008 |
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“...Joseph Gordon-Levitt isn’t.” That may be true, but he’s never given anything to do in the film other than act sullen. |
Apr 03, 2008 |
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But in a way that in itself suggests that there’s a lot more wrong here than just the MTV-centric casting. That’s not to say that I don’t find the casting off-putting. |
Apr 04, 2008 |
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“But in a way that in itself suggests that there’s a lot more wrong here than just the MTV-centric casting.” That’s obvious, but it certainly doesn’t help things. |
Apr 04, 2008 |
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Did I say it did? (We could keep this up all night if one of us doesn’t go to bed.) |
Apr 04, 2008 |
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“Did I say it did?” Yes. Yes you did. |
Apr 04, 2008 |
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Insomnia, obviously. |
Apr 04, 2008 |
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Better than senility. |
Apr 04, 2008 |
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You’ll contract that next week, no doubt. |
Apr 04, 2008 |
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I’m sure watching stuff like SUPERHERO MOVIE and COLLEGE ROAD TRIP is putting me on the fast track. |
Apr 05, 2008 |
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I offered to review SUPERHERO MOVIE—and I have a witness to back me up. Next thing I know you’ll be blaming your hernia on these movies. |
Apr 05, 2008 |
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We can compare health problems to number of bad movies watched and see what comes up. |
Apr 05, 2008 |
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I’m something like 28 years older than you. I’ll win—both in health problems and in numbers of bad movies seen. |
Apr 05, 2008 |
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I think that’s called a “correlation.” Not being older but the other stuff. |
Apr 05, 2008 |
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I’m still trying to figure out whether or not bad movies can contribute to a hernia. In that I’ve never seen you lift anything heavier than a bag of take-out food, I admit there’s some evidence for the bad movie theory. |
Apr 05, 2008 |
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“In that I’ve never seen you lift anything heavier than a bag of take-out food…” I didn’t realize you were Charles Atlas. |
Apr 06, 2008 |
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Well, I don’t like to talk about it. |
Apr 06, 2008 |
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This sounds like a job for Molton. |
Apr 06, 2008 |
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“This sounds like a job for Molton.” If—and only if—I am depicted as wrestling poodles and winning. (Bonzo Dog Band fans will get it.) |
Apr 06, 2008 |
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Get a room you two |
Apr 06, 2008 at |
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Naw, we’re way past that. This is more like bitchy old married couple. |
Apr 06, 2008 |
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Charles Atlas, Hanke? Tres butch, indeed. |
 Apr 25, 2008 at |
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Ah, Mr. Bugg, I didn’t see you sneak in. Now, you are one of the few people I thought might get the Bonzo Dog Band reference. |
Apr 29, 2008 |
