Product: Casualties of War [UMD for PSP] (1989)
Rating: 4.0
Moving story
"Casualties of War" was directed by Brian de Palma and stars Michael J. Fox, Sean Penn, and a good list of supporting actors.After their squad gets attacked and some soldiers are killed, the unit is sent out on a long-range patrol, led by Sean Penn. He decides to kidnap a Vietnamese girl to take with them as some "portable R & R" along the way.The girl is raped by the members of the squad, except Michael J. Fox, who tries unsucessfully to prevent it. Later, the girl is murdered by the same men so that another approaching group of Americans in helicopters will not see her.Although Fox tells his superior officers about it, no one is enthusiastic about bringing charges against the men. Eventually they see their day in court and some measure of justice is handed out.The DVD contains a 30-minute "making of" documentary with clips and comments by dePalma and other crew members, an 18-minute interview with clips from Michael J. Fox, 5 deleted scenes (one that includes the girl's scarf gives added meaning to the last scene), and the usual set up options.One of many Vietnam war movies, "Casualties of War" ranks near the top due to the difficult subject and generally good acting.