Stop-Loss (2008)

A veteran soldier returns from his completed tour of duty in Iraq, only to find his life turned upside down when he is arbitrarily ordered to return to field duty by the Army.

Director:

Kimberly Peirce

Writers:

Mark Richard, Kimberly Peirce

Stars:

Ryan Phillippe, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Rob Brown

2 wins & 3 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Ryan Phillippe	...	Brandon King
Joseph Gordon-Levitt	...	Tommy Burgess
Rob Brown	...	Isaac 'Eyeball' Butler
Channing Tatum	...	Steve Shriver
Victor Rasuk	...	Rico Rodriguez
Quay Terry	...	Al 'Preacher' Colson
Matthew Scott Wilcox	...	Harvey
Connett Brewer	...	Curtis (as Connett M. Brewer)
Timothy Olyphant	...	Lt. Col. Boot Miller
Josef Sommer	...	Senator Orton Worrell
Linda Emond	...	Ida King
Ciarán Hinds	...	Roy King
Mamie Gummer	...	Jeanie
Abbie Cornish	...	Michelle
Alex Frost	...	Shorty

Storyline

Decorated Iraq war hero Sgt. Brandon King makes a celebrated return to his small Texas hometown following his tour of duty. He tries to resume the life he left behind. Then, against Brandon's will, the Army orders him back to duty in Iraq, which upends his world. The conflict tests everything he believes in: the bond of family, the loyalty of friendship, the limits of love and the value of honor.

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Plot Keywords:

soldier | honor | texas | iraq war | friendship | 

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Taglines:

The bravest place to stand is by each other's side.

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Genres:

Drama | War

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for graphic violence and pervasive language

Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

28 March 2008 (USA)

Also Known As:

Untitled Kimberly Peirce Project

Filming Locations:

Austin, Texas, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$25,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$4,555,117 (USA) (28 March 2008)

Gross:

$10,911,750 (USA) (13 June 2008)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Paramount Pictures, Scott Rudin Productions, MTV Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

112 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital SDDS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The title refers to a provision in all military service contracts that says a service member can be involuntarily extended beyond their discharge (from active duty) date, and at times beyond their final discharge from service date, according to the needs of the service.

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Goofs

The U.S. Army personnel in the movie wear the outdated DCU and BDU. At the time of the movie's filming and release, the U.S. Army wore the ACU.

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Quotes

Roy King: Listen to me, if you're spooked, it's o.k. There's no shame in that.
Brandon King: I ain't scared, I'm pissed off!

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Connections

Featured in The O'Reilly Factor: Episode dated 2 April 2008 (2008)

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Soundtracks

"Street Beat"
Written by Brady Muckelroy

User Reviews

Another Forgettable Entry in the Iraq War Movie Mill

Kimberly Peirce becomes one of the latest directors to try and only marginally succeed in making a compelling film about the Iraq conflict.

Peirce takes on as her subject the military's stop-loss clause, essentially a back door draft by which the military can use fine print in recruits' contracts to prevent them from getting out once their time is up. Peirce obviously feels strongly about the policy, but what should be a hard-hitting drama feels instead like a rather preachy after-school special. She coaxes a nice performance out of Ryan Phillipe, as the soldier who goes AWOL when his stop-loss clause is activated, but she doesn't fare as well with the rest of the cast. The film suffers from confusing editing, that doesn't always make it clear where characters are or how events are related to one another, and the writing at times is weak as well, with character motivations not coming across as clearly as they should.

I don't know what it is about the Iraq conflict that makes it so hard for filmmakers to make good movies about it. Maybe it will have to be over for a while before anyone can begin to approach it with any success.

Grade: B-