Just as he is settling back into daily life at home, a young soldier is suddenly ordered back to the front lines, prompting him to question his senseKimberly 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
Rating: 
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September 19, 2010
#1
Review by Shawn
Rating:
I am not a professional critic of any sort by any means, but after watching the movie and reading some of these reviews, I will say that my review is as professional and “accurate” as it gets. I am a Soldier amongst thousands, who has experienced these parts, as ‘acted’ out in the film, in reality, and what you see and experience in the film are not so and are far fetch. From the most ridiculous setup of a hasty checkpoint to the suicidal pursuit of the insurgents upon their attack (into an easily predicted ambush in a random small alley, at that) in the opening scenes. The Soldiers are equipped with ISR’s (internal squad radios), and yet they yell at each other in an insurgent infested building when one Soldier is wounded…Then you have the main character (SSG King) who gets “individually” stop-lossed on his very last day of clearing, only to report, with another unit, back to Iraq… In the midst of this, the movie portrays that just about every Soldier who has just returned home, to include SSG King, as having the worse PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder) possible, leading to one fellow Soldier’s suicide. Due to this PTSD, King, at one point in the movie, notices his car has been broken into and items have been stolen; at which point, he so very easily locates the perpetrators in a nearby alley (3 that I recall, armed with a handgun) and has a severe flashback of Iraq leading him to defeat these 3 thieves. Also, once King has been informed of this stop-loss, he reports directly to his LTC, superseding an unseen and unknown NCO support channel and Chain of Command. It’s all bogus.
There were many things that were Very inaccurate in this movie and I think it is the wrong way to go about Honoring America’s Military. Stop-loss is real. I have experienced it myself as I was in the middle of a PCS (permanent change of station), with my family to another Overseas assignment, only to be kept at my current station for 3 months leading into me deploying. It can be very inconveniencing, but not anything like it is portrayed in the film. I was not stop-lossed as an individual or as a small group for that matter. My entire Division was stop-lossed and stop-moved. I will also say that no Soldier, or Division or Unit even, will ever get stop-lossed directly after a Combat tour anywhere to be directed to report back to Combat effective immediately. That is not to say that a Soldier will not see another Combat tour during the Stop-loss cycle however. Combat sucks, especially for those who have endured it themselves, especially on more than one occasion, and even more so for the families who have suffered the Ultimate Sacrifice. Today’s Army is an ALL volunteer force and Soldier’s should be well aware of what their specific job within the Army entails them to do and the commitment they hold.
Soldiers do go through MANY hardships. More than any person who has not experienced the Army or Military life themselves, will EVER know. Soldiers do fight everyday in many locations and some do pay the Ultimate Sacrifice. Soldiers do get stop-lossed, but will not quit, give up, and then go AWOL when it happens. They will complain and get disgruntle over it, more than likely, but those same Soldiers will, as we say, “suck it up and drive on.” Many Soldiers do have and will get PTSD, but will experience and deal with it in their own ways. Families will be happy when their loved ones return and indescribable when they don’t… These things happen in reality, both good and bad and this movie is a piss poor example of how Soldiers live their lives and how the Army works. If you are going to make a movie to Honor Soldiers, their families and their sacrifices, don’t make the movie about ONE Soldier who gets stop-lossed as an individual to report back to Iraq specifically, 2 weeks after returning home and then have that Soldier RUN away and go AWOL in rage. Films like “Band of Brothers” and “Black Hawk Down” are films that Honor our Soldiers and give the civilian people a little taste of what a Soldier endures. Not this. I have yet to see any movie that accurately portrays the Soldiers today in Iraq and Afghanistan and the hardships they and their families endure, and honestly I don’t wish to see a “movie” that does so. However, if a movie is going to be made, I would rather see that than what this movie did portray. Although many Soldiers have been through more than anyone can imagine, true Soldiers do not quit and run away from anything. God Bless the Troops and their Families!!
September 19, 2010
#2
Review by Westley
Rating:
Ryan Phillippe is Staff Sergeant Brandon King, the leader of a battalion fighting in a small town in Iraq. One day, the battalion is attacked by some Iraqis in a taxicab, and King and his men chase after the culprits. The chase ends in an alleyway, where they pursue on foot. Unfortunately, they are ambushed and several of King’s men are killed. We then flash forward to King and some of his pals going back home to Texas for leave. Some of them, including King, will be released, and they talk about their plans….and get drunk and fight and play with guns. These men don’t seem very stable, although some of it may be related to the flashbacks they have to the atrocities in Iraq. Their leave draws to a close, and King goes back to base for one final check-in, anticipating that he will soon be a civilian. However, when he tries to check-out, he’s informed by a random bureaucrat that he has to go back to Iraq – he’s been stop-lossed. King is outraged, punches out a few soldiers, and hightails it home. The rest of the movie progresses from there.
“Stop-Loss” starts off very strong and builds some nice characterizations, but really takes a chance by having the protagonist take on a less than heroic stance. I suspect that some people cheered his actions; after all, the Iraq war is very unpopular and seen as unjust by many people. However, it was never clear to me why King was so upset about his stop-loss. Was he afraid of getting killed (he mentioned this a few times), was he suffering from PTSD and needed help (perhaps), or was he just mad that he wasn’t informed earlier (seems so)? With such murky intentions, the character comes off as unlikeable and petulant at times. This problem made his journey far less impactful than it should have been, even when he meets with one of his former battalion members who was severely injured. Also, as others here have mentioned, it just didn’t seem realistic that he was told at such a late time that he was stop-lossed. This detail and a few other issues again really impacted the movie for me. Ryan Phillippe also gives a bland performance, which further dilutes the message and emotional impact. His accent at times is so heavy it’s hard to understand him and then it’s nearly gone at other times. What starts off as a powerful examination of war and its effects ends up a total mess – what a shame.
September 19, 2010
#3
Review by William A. Jackson
Rating:
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.
September 19, 2010
#4
Review by deeper waters
Rating:
This movie has a strong anti-war message but presents it in a way that does not dishonor or diminish the soldiers on the front line. It does however offer a pointed and legitimate critique of the government and military leaders. The acting is solid, each character with their own hopes, biases, struggles and loyalties. The painful reality of combat and its indelible impact on those who fight speaks for itself and challenges viewers to look at what they believe in and why.
September 19, 2010
#5
Review by David Spero
Rating:
How you feel about this movie will depend on how you feel about the invasion and occupation of Iraq in the first place. I’ve been reading 1-star reviews by pro-military people, including active duty soldiers saying, “These guys are cowards. If you volunteer, you’re giving your life to the military, so do your duty.” And 4-star reviews by people who are against the war, saying StopLoss captures the heartbreak and trauma this war has caused.
I know this movie isn’t particularly accurate, but I still think it’s strong. From the point of view of most of the world, this is a movie about the bad guys. These soldiers are people who, because of cultural and economic pressure, joined the military thinking they were protecting their country. But the military (and the whole government) were controlled by war criminals.
They were sent into a battle that had nothing to do with 9/11. It was the product of leaders who wanted to conquer the world. They were betrayed into becoming the Imperial Storm Troopers from Star Wars. And when they try to get out, they are stop-lossed and sent back.
I know a lot of soldiers will strongly disagree (although I know some who agree just as strongly.) I know most soldiers try to do the right thing. But you can’t do right when you’re put into a situation where there is no right, in a country where you were never wanted. I think Stop Loss captures their helplessness very well.
I only wish the movie makers had mentioned the possibility of refusing orders and doing your time, instead of running away or going back. Of soldiers who have refused to return, almost nobody has had to do more than a year. IMO, that’s better than facing death or PTSD, or becoming a war criminal.
But see the film and decide for yourself. Learn more at the CouragetoResist web site.