Would-Be-Masterpiece That Is Just Plain Tedious.

Rating: Null/10 (14 August 2002)

A really ugly and exploitive film about five American soldiers in Vietnam who kidnap a young girl from a village. Four of them, led by Sean Penn, repeatedly rape and abuse her until she is barely able to defend herself or even stand up. After she is finally killed, the fifth soldier (Michael J. Fox) tries to get the U.S. military to do something about the chilling events but his journey is far from being an easy one. The tale is shown in difficult flashbacks by director Brian De Palma as Thuy Thu Le plays dual roles (the abused girl and a young woman that Fox sees in the present-day). Not a total waste, but still a really under-achieving film that makes a case for one of the biggest mistakes of the 1980s. 2.5 out of 5 stars.