Product: Casualties of War [UMD for PSP] (1989)
Rating: 2.0
Unbearable
"Casualties of War" is based upon a true life incident during the Vietnam War in which an innocent Vietnamese girl is raped and murdered by a U.S. army squad. The girl is victimized in "revenge" for a previous attack upon this squad by the Viet Cong. All but one soldier in the squad participates in the rape/murder. That soldier is played by Michael J. Fox. Fox is excellent as the sole conscience amongst the squadron.Fox's character is so horrified by what he sees, that he is compelled to report this atrocity to his commanders. As a result, he is vilifed by his peers and by certain superiors. A trial of the other squadron members ensues. I will not give away the outcome.Sean Penn as the instigator of the rape/murder is brilliant in his portrayal of the sadistic and ruthless soldier. And Thuy Thu Le who plays the murdered Vietnamese girl is obviously a talented young actress with great emotional depth. The rape scene itself is quite graphic and disturbing.But unfortunately, the way in which the Vietnamese girl's role is written and directed makes this character more unbearable than the rape itself. And that should NOT be. The rape is a horrific and vile act. But this girl's continual whimpering, coughing, clinging, and totally passive behavior is what finally became unbearable for me as the viewer.De Palma and David Rabe give the Vietnamese girl no strength, smarts, or even a smidgeon of dignity. The girl has the opportunity to flee when Michael J. Fox's character unties her. But she does nothing but run back to him and thus sets herself up for more torture by the rest of the squad.Perhaps that is how the incident actually happened. But in the most effective dramas, the audience can identify with its protagonist. In this movie, it is almost impossible to do so because the protagonist is so completely weak and witless. The filmmakers have given me too little to care about in this girl upon which an entire story is based. That is why "Casualties of War" merits only two stars.