A carefully conceived, dramatically honorable picture that treats its subject with clarity and intelligence, especially by contemporary standards.
Courage Under Fire (1996)
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:49
Fresh:41
Rotten:8
Average Rating:7.2/10
Consensus: An emotional and intriguing tale of a military officer who must review the merits of a fallen officer while confronting his own war demons. Effectively depicts the terrors of war as well as its heartbreaking aftermath.
Runtime: 1 hr 56 mins
Genre: Dramas
Synopsis: Following the 1991 Gulf War, Lieutenant Colonel Nathaniel Serling (Denzel Washington) is assigned to review the background of the late Captain Karen Walden (Meg Ryan), who has been posthumously... Following the 1991 Gulf War, Lieutenant Colonel Nathaniel Serling (Denzel Washington) is assigned to review the background of the late Captain Karen Walden (Meg Ryan), who has been posthumously nominated for a medal of honor. While investigating Walden's candidacy, Serling is forced to face his own disillusionment and guilt surrounding the war. As he begins the interviewing process, he uncovers several inconsistencies in the stories told by the late pilot's crew. The three officers, who may or may not have been saved by the captain's actions, all give drastically different accounts of the events leading up to Walden's death. Ilario (Matt Damon) paints Walden as an unselfish, courageous hero, while the surly Monfriez (Lou Diamond Phillips) describes her as a crybaby and a coward. The third soldier, Altameyer (Seth Gilliam), lies dying in an army hospital, mumbling guilty confessions in a medicated haze. Similar to the storytelling technique used in Akira Kurosawa's RASHOMON, director Edward Zwick's COURAGE UNDER FIRE features each officer's account of the fateful incident reenacted onscreen, offering wildly diverse portrayals of Walden. Meg Ryan shines in a role that demands she play one character a multitude of ways. As Serling pieces together the radically different tales of combat, he uncovers the painful truth and simultaneously faces his own pent-up guilt regarding the war. [More]
Starring: Denzel Washington, Meg Ryan, Lou Diamond Phillips, Matt Damon
Starring: Denzel Washington, Meg Ryan, Lou Diamond Phillips, Matt Damon, Michael Moriarty, Seth Gilliam, Bronson Pinchot, Scott Glenn
Director: Edward Zwick
Director: Edward Zwick
Screenwriter: Patrick Sheane Duncan
Producer: John Davis, David T. Friendly, Joseph M. Singer
Composer: James Horner
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Release:
Sep 1, 2009
DVD Features:
- Region 1
- NTSC
- Keep Case
- Letterbox - 1.85
Audio:
- Dolby Digital 5.1 - English
- Dolby Surround - English
- Dolby Surround - French
- DTS Surround 5.1 - English
- THX Mastered Audio
Additional Release Material:
- Featurette
- Audio Commentary: Edward Zwick - Director
Trailers:
- 1. 3 Original Theatrical Trailers
- 2. 3 TV Spots
Interactive Features:
- Scene Access
- Interactive Menus
Reviews for Courage Under Fire
As the detective-story flashback structure gets under way, what initially seemed adherence to dramatic and moral cliché becomes more complex and interesting.
Denzel Washington gives as fine a performance as I have seen him give.
A provocative film with Oscar caliber performances. (published 7-19-96)
Despite its underlying predictability, Courage Under Fire manages warmth, intelligence and a healthy share of surprises.
Denzel Washington reinforces his image as a serious leading man who dominates a film with his quiet intensity and aura of introspection.
When [Washington's] long pent-up emotions finally break through the surface, the result is at once exhilarating and heartbreaking.
Washington's inherent gravity anchors his troubled and troublesome character, and Ryan, whom we'd all but written off as a perpetual pom-pom girl, takes on an atypical role and acquits herself, well, honorably.
For Meg Ryan this was opportunity to shed her image of romantic comedies queen and play some serious role for a change.
a confused Gulf War flick adopting the structure of “Rashomon,” the sentimentality of “Love Story,” and the souls of Hollywood hacks.
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