Adds to the ranks of films on the Iraq war that very few people will volunteer to see, not merely because the topic is difficult but because...it's so terribly uneven.
1 Comment
03/27/08
Stop-Loss (2008)
64
%
Tomatometer
How does the Tomatometer work 
Reviews Counted:138
Fresh:89
Rotten:49
Average Rating:6.3/10
Consensus: Stop-Loss is sincere and complex, and features strong performances, even if it tries to cover too much ground.
Theatrical Release:Mar 28, 2008 Wide
Box Office: $10,796,776
Synopsis: Director Kimberly Peirce (BOYS DON'T CRY) tackles another controversial topic with STOP-LOSS, the story of a U.S. soldier forced back into battle. Brandon King (Ryan Phillippe) has just returned to... [More]
Starring: Ryan Phillippe, Abbie Cornish, Channing Tatum, Joseph Gordon-Levitt
Director: Kimberly Peirce
Get This Movie
Reviews for Stop-Loss
Stop-Loss goes in too many directions at once, and most of those directions are predictable.
03/27/08
If the war effort is bent on alienating the core of troop morale while frightening potential recruits from joining up, mission accomplished.
03/27/08
Strangely, it has come out at once too soon and - for those who have already been stop-lossed - too late.
03/27/08
While Phillippe does a creditable job and Cornish is suitably torn by her divided loyalties to two men, Tatum and especially Gordon-Levitt are utterly wasted, used like extras when either of their stories seems interesting enough for a film of its own.
03/27/08
Despite structural deficiencies, 'Stop-Loss' is a riveting assault on the Pentagon's abuse of power during the Iraq war.
03/26/08
Strewn story parts pile up in Stop-Loss, a painfully polite Iraq war drama pitched at the MTV generation.
03/26/08
Top CriticBrilliantly observed and vividly shot, built on a career-making performance by Ryan Phillippe, its an Iraq War movie for Americans whove been avoiding Iraq movies, even the good ones such as In the Valley of Elah.
03/26/08
Being better than In the Valley of Elah’s lazy view of returning vets as damaged and mentally depraved isn’t good enough.
03/26/08
Stop-Loss has painted itself into a dramatic corner, which might be the most honest expression of the filmmaker's empathy for the men and women serving in Iraq.
03/26/08
Stop-Loss is far less about the Iraq War than a study of the soldiers and what makes them tick. Through her superlative script, Kimberly Peirce captures the heart of what makes soldiers do what they do even in light of the story's betrayal.
03/25/08
deserves praise for dealing honestly with a thorny issue where most other filmmakers would simply resort to propaganda.
03/25/08
Might never be viewed as light entertainment, but the strong performances and ideas make it a satisfying film, one that you can ponder and discuss, as well as a powerful tribute to our troops.
03/25/08
Boys Don't Cry director Kimberly Pearce attempts to anchor the Iraq War debate in the lives of a specific subset of soldiers and nearly pulls it off. But her promising premise runs into a rut of incompatible accents and melodramatic excess.
03/24/08
Maddening, upsetting, and articulate, it's a film that dares to address a malicious tentacle of Government expediency connected to a much larger monster.
03/21/08
Even when the script slips into sentiment, [director] Peirce sticks with her troubled, questing soldiers, and through this raw and riveting movie, they stick with us.
03/20/08
Top CriticA wildly uneven drama, by turns sincere and synthetic.
03/17/08
Top CriticSharply uneven, Peirce's film is structurally flawed in the first reels, but it improves considerably in the second half, which documents the dramatic effects of a controversial, little known government policy on a cligue of friends.
03/12/08
Latest News for Stop-Loss
December 05, 2008:
Female Directors Challenge Status Quo 
Hollywood directors have always been a bit of a boys' club, but as the $70 million opening of Catherine Hardwicke's "Twilight" attests, that's slowly changing. More...
July 07, 2008:
RT on DVD: Dark Knight, Mummy 3 Sneak Peeks
This week, we dispense with the news and cut to the chase to bring you two huge new gift sets timed perfectly for this summer's Bat-mania. What will earn you more geek cred:... More...
July 03, 2008:
A compelling postwar saga which compassionately establishes that veterans of the Iraq conflict shouldn't have to be wounded physically to be considered damaged goods.
More...
March 30, 2008:
New Feature Alert! The RT Review Revue, A Weekly Video Round-up
Live from the RT offices...it's the RT Review Revue! Check out the latest word on this week's new releases in the first installment of our new editorial video column. More...
What’s Hot On RT
Fresh Links
Featured
MSN's Year in Review
Take a look at MSN's choices for the Top 10 films of 2009.
40 Best Films of the 2000s
Last week, Moviefone offered us their worst films of the 2000s. Now see their 40 best!
Tarantino's Characters
Hollywood.com explores why QT's characters resonate so well with audiences.
Top 10 Movies of 2009
TIME chimes in with their own list of the best films released this year.
Top 20 of the Decade
Click through to see which movies BuzzSugar placed in their Best-of-Decade list!
Promos
Follow RT on Twitter
Get the latest Tomatometer updates on upcoming movies!
IGN RSS Feeds