Casualties of War

Director Brian De Palma, primarily known for his semi-perverse chillers (Carrie, Dressed to Kill, Body Double, etc.) delivers a powerful emotional blow with this searing 1989 Vietnam War film based on a true incident. Michael J. Fox stars as Eriksson, a rookie in the field, who becomes embroiled in a repulsive moral dilemma when his squad sergeant Meserve (Sean Penn) orders the kidnapping of a Vietnamese village girl. At first, Eriksson hangs back, but when Meserve orders the other three men in the squad to rape the girl, he refuses. In the aftermath, the girl is murdered, and Eriksson must choose whether to bring the matter before the military authorities. Although the film has a few moments of preaching, as well as a confusing and pointless framing device, De Palma's version of the Vietnam War is thought-provoking on many levels. Featuring a good transfer and a new Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack, the disc is also loaded with extras, including deleted scenes, a half-hour "making of," and an 18-minute interview with Michael J. Fox. Highly recommended. (R. Pitman)[DVD Review—Apr. 18, 2006—Sony, 119 min., not rated, $19.95—Making its second appearance on DVD, 1989's Casualties of War (Extended Cut) sports a nice-looking transfer and Dolby Digital 5.1 surround sound. DVD extras include three minutes of additional footage, a 31-minute “making-of” featurette, “Eriksson's War: A Conversation with Michael J. Fox” (19 min.), and trailers. Bottom line: If you already own the previous release, which has all of the extras except for the three extra minutes, you won't need this version. If you don't, however, this is an excellent and timely reminder of the horrors of war.]