A realistic and sad Vietnam War story...

Rating: 9/10 (1 April 2019)

I have watched "Casualties of War" four, maybe five times since it was initially released back in 1989. First on VHS, then moved on to DVD later on.
While movies about the Vietnam War are a dime a dozen, then "Casualties of War" actually managed to stand out, because it was not just another movie following a platoon of young Americans finding themselves deep in the jungles of Vietnam fighting a war for which they had little love, conquering all aside from insurmountable odds. Director Brian De Palma managed to make "Casualties of War" stand out by adding a very realistic level of human behavior to the characters in the movie, and also by making it a story that sinks right in and will probably have you in tears along the way.
Aside from having a really well constructed storyline and plot, and one that hits home hard and sticks with you long after the movie has ended, then "Casualties of War" really have an amazing list of casted performers, almost rivaling "Platoon".
The movie is so amazingly carried by the performance of Michael J. Fox, and he really surprised with his dramatic performance in this movie and he really shined through with his amazing acting talent in "Casualties of War". I am by no means a fan of Sean Penn, but he was good in this movie, and it was really hard not to take an aversion to the character he portrayed. Aside from Fox and Penn, the movie also have some nice appearances by John Leguizamo, Ving Rhames and John C. Reilly.
The movie is driven by an amazingly well-told narrative and it is a story that really sinks in. And I can guarantee that you will be in tears from this movie, because it really it a story that sinks into the heart and sticks with you. But also the characters in the movie are well-detailed and fleshed out, helping to further the flow of the movie quite nicely.
"Casualties of War" is actually the type of movie that you can watch more than just a single time. Sure, you have to let a long time pass in between each viewing, but the contents are there to sustain multiple viewings. "Casualties of War" is definitely one of my all-time favorite war movies.