Harrowing but brilliant

Rating: 9/10 (8 November 2012)

Casualties Of War dramatises a single event from the Vietnam war, where a squad of US soldiers abduct a Vietnamese girl and take her with them on patrol for the purposes of "recreation," raping and eventually killing her. Sean Penn is the leader of the squad and Michael J Fox plays the only member who consistently speaks out against their actions and tries to help the girl, eventually becoming the lone voice which tries to get justice for her.
It has been some years since I last watched this film, but simply recalling it for the purpose of writing these words chokes me up: the events of the first part of the film are profoundly disturbing and utterly heartbreaking, and credit to Thuy Thu Le, in her only film role, for portraying victim Oanh with such power and dignity.
But credit must also go to Penn for his angry sergeant, shaken free from any moral compass he may once have had, and especially to Fox: his principled everyman shows that he was never the lightweight that his succession of light roles may have suggested.
And credit, too, to director Brian De Palma - for once not trying to emulate Hitchcock, he has here produced an accomplished and moving drama which poses profound moral issues and leaves you wondering whether you would have had the courage to make a moral stand.