Strong, horrific drama.

Rating: 8/10 (3 September 2008)

Private Eriksson (Michael J. Fox) is shocked that his sergeant Meserve (Oscar-Winner:Sean Penn) and his men (Don Harvey, John C. Reilly & John Leguizamo) kidnapped innocent native farm girl (Thuy Thu Le) in the jungles of Wartime Vietnam. Sergeant Meserve and his men are beating & raping this poor innocent young woman. Private Eriksson is forced to stand alone against his fellow soldiers and his commanding officer.
Directed by Brian De Palma (The Black Dahlia, Femme Fatale, The Fury) made an strong anti-war drama morality play. Fox gives an breakthrough performance as Private Eriksson, who does everything in his power to bring these men into justice. Penn and Thu Le are also superb in their terrific roles. This film is actually based on a true story. Director De Palma graphically brings this vile true-life come to life and the horror of war without good. While it's still underrated today, "Casualties of War" is still one of De Palma's best movies.
DVD has an sharp anamorphic Widescreen (2.35:1) transfer and an fine digitally remastered Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound. DVD also includes an fascinating interview with the actor:Fox, an featurette with the filmmakers, Five Deleted Scenes and more. "Casualties of War" wasn't an box office success, despite good reviews from film critics. But the feature actually lived on video and audiences/film critics (Who hated the movie) given it another chance. If "Casualties of War" has an flaw, which is Fox's speechifying gets to be a bit much at times and it is unrealistic. But still... the feature packs an punch and the inhumane treatment of an innocent Vietnamese girl is still difficult & heartbreaking to watch. Don't miss it. Extended Version is also available. Panavision. (****/*****).