Writer: Kimberly Peirce, Mark Richard
Director: Kimberly Peirce
Cast: Ryan Phillippe, Channing Tatum, Abbie Cornish, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Timothy Olyphant, Rob Brown
Rating: Not Rated
Studio: Paramount/MTV
Release Date: July 8, 2008

When I hear the name Kimberly Peirce I immediately think of Boys Don’t Cry. I have seen thousands of movies, but that is one that I find seriously hard to watch. It is so emotional and so heartbreaking that watching Brandon Teena’s life unfold can be a struggle for any viewer.

While I have to think twice about watching Hilary Swank’s Oscar winning performance (though it was amazing), hearing that Peirce is involved in another project is always a good thing. While I am sure she has done some movies since Boys Don’t Cry, for me she sort of fell off the radar. However, as soon as I heard that it was Peirce attached to this project and then I learned what the film was all about, I was hoping for a strong, emotional ride, like I have been on with her work before.

For those who don’t know, the Stop-Loss policy is a controversial policy that allows the government to send a soldier back into war, even after doing his time. Putting this in real time, making it about the Iraq War, gave the film a much better chance at getting the message across. The stars here are all right on point, as far as age and assumed demeanor and Peirce succeeds in many ways. This film is another that will elicit some strong emotional reactions from people that either agree or disagree with the policy. However, as this is not based on any one particular true story, it lacks the emotional punch in the gut that you would receive from her earlier work.

Release Information:
Going solely on financial terms Stop-Loss was a flop. The $25 million budget was not exceeded and it didn’t appear to come close. There could have been a number of reasons for this. Advertising was not good for this film. In fact, I think the only real thing I heard about it was the hook up of Cornish and Phillippe and the subsequent break-up of Phillippe and Witherspoon. Even then, I wasn’t positive of the name of the film. At that point it was “that film being shot in Texas.” Later I learned plenty about this film, including a cast that would have made it impossible for me to skip this.

Despite not receiving good reception monetarily, this movie has had high ratings from fans and critics, alike. Paramount and MTV released Stop Loss onto DVD on July 8, 2008. The DVD includes the feature film and a number of special features to round out the set. You should be able to purchase this DVD wherever they are sold. You can find it online at Amazon for $16.99.

The Stop-Loss Plot
Stop Loss is a fictional story that could very well be true to some service man or woman out there. Sgt. Brandon King (Ryan Phillippe – Breach) is headed home from Iraq after the rigorous demands of war, which are shown in the first moments of the film. He has been attacked and watched friends and fellow soldiers die in extreme, dire conditions. He arrives to his small Texas hometown with friends and unit-mates Steve Shriver (Channing Tatum – Step Up) and Tommy Burgess (Joseph Gordon Levitt – The Lookout, Brick) to a celebration and a heroes honor.

King has plans of putting the war behind him, but that is not an option when he learns that he’s been stop lossed and will be heading back to the war zone. He refuses to go and jumps ship so to speak, going AWOL with plans of getting out of duty. He travels with Shriver’s fiancée, Michelle (Abbie Cornish – Candy). These are the four characters that make up the movie. King is the central character, fighting all odds to ensure that he doesn’t have to return to a war he didn’t sign up for the second time around.

My biggest problem here is the lack of emotion. Many of these actors seem either detached or underutilized. Cornish is completely wasted on her role as the token female. Gordon Levitt, a fabulous young actor with incredible talent also feels squandered here. Meanwhile, Phillippe seems to lack of the depth that he is capable of, so he almost feels wasted in his own way, as well.

The political theme makes it hard to feel for the specific characters in the film. I understand the point of the film is almost political in nature, but by making it more about the characters and the effects of war and less about whether we should or shouldn’t be there, the goal is better able to be realized. This just makes it harder to relate to the issue because those people that are for the war will not see the human effectsm and the meaning is lost as another attempt at fueling the liberal machine.

Stop Loss was a movie with incredibly good intentions and plenty of possibility. All of that falls short when it comes to conveying the necessary meaning, which would have made it a truly great movie. In its current form it is watchable and decent, but is far from perfect.

Storyline/Plot: ★★★½☆
Replayability: ★★★½☆
Acting: ★★★½☆
Directing: ★★☆☆☆

Audio/Visual:
Stop Loss is presented with an aspect ratio of 1.85:1 in anamorphic widescreen. It looks as fabulous as the transfer specs would imply that it should. This is a new movie so it offers a decent quality that is well transfered. You can expect brilliant clarity, good colors, and a sharp presentation overall. There are some moments of washed out images, but seeing as those are part of the plan for the movie, all here is right as rain.

The audio is presented in Dolby Digital 5.1 and sounds as magnificent as any standard DVD can sound these days. There is a full range of sounds used from battle sequences and silent moments to full dialogue. All of these sounds are as loud and boisterous or as chillingly silent as they need to be. Along with the English Dolby 5.1 track comes Spanish and French options, as well. Subtitle offerings are available in English, French, and Spanish.

Visual: ★★★★½
Audio: ★★★★½

Bonus Features:
Things get rolling in this section with a fair amount of trailers. You can check out previews for The Ruins, Star Trek, Iron Man, American Teen, and Shine a Light. The commentary is handled by Peirce and Richard. They talk about the plans they had for the film. You will notice, if you listen to this that some of the plans worked out and others fell short. The commentary is an interesting listen, especially if you want into the heads of the filmmakers.

There are two featurettes included, “The Making of Stop Loss” and “A Day in Boot Camp”. The first is your standard making of featurette that discusses the basic, surface details of filmmaking that so many featurettes like this discuss. The second featurette shows the things that the actors had to go through to offer more realistic portrayals in their roles. Things finish up with eleven deleted scenes that you can play separately or together, as you see fit. Commentary is also available on these scenes, by the director.

Bonus Features: ★★★½☆

Bottom Line:
The hardest thing to swallow here is the lack of ability to relate to these characters as real people. The emotions do not run as high as they should to get this message across without seeming preachy. Stop Loss is not a bad movie, but it is a movie that falls short in ways that it shouldn’t in order to make it a great movie. For this reason, I highly recommend renting it before you purchase it.

Overall Rating: ★★★½☆

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