*** out of ****; Grade: B

Rating: Null/10 (6 July 2000)

One of DePalma's first forays into "serious" filmmaking is this war story set in Vietnam, involving assorted cruelties perpetrated by a group of American soldiers on a female Vietnamese POW. Awkwardly staged and told at times, but containing scenes of genuine power and terror. The actors acquit themselves nicely, with Penn somehow maintaining a tight grasp on his hyperactive performance. Breathtaking location work and a "happy" ending nevertheless create a numbing, sad experience that one chooses to subject himself to rather than enjoy.