Stop-Loss

Stop-Loss

Category: (DVD)

31 new, starting at $7.29

88 used, starting at $1.20

Buy Now

Editorial Reviews

Decorated Iraq war hero Sgt. Brandon King (Ryan Phillippe) makes a celebrated return to his small Texas hometown following his tour of duty. He tries to resume the life he left behind with the help and support of his family and his best friend Steve Shriver (Channing Tatum) who served with him in Iraq. Along with their other war buddies Brandon and Steve try to make peace with civilian life. 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.System Requirements:Running Time: 111 minutesFormat: DVD MOVIE Genre: DRAMA/MILITARY & WAR Rating: R UPC: 097363476542 Manufacturer No: 347654

Kimberly Peirce's long-hatching follow-up to Boys Don't Cry is another issue-driven look at its era: Stop-Loss hinges on U.S. military policy allowing Iraq War soldiers to be returned to combat even after their official hitches are up. In this case, a band of brothers return to home turf in Brazos, Texas, only to discover that team leader Brandon King (Ryan Phillippe) has gotten a Stop-Loss order to head back to the Middle East. After some flavorful sketches of small-town Texas life and the awkwardness of re-adjustment, the movie somewhat clumsily hits the road, where there's more wheel-spinning than deep insight. Peirce and co. seem to want to hit all the Iraq War bases, which may be one reason the film lacks a strong focus. Supporting soldiers Channing Tatum and Joseph Gordon-Levitt are rather more interesting than Phillippe's brooding hero, and Abbie Cornish is stuck in a thankless town-between-two-lovers storyline. It's sincere as all get-out, but Stop-Loss feels like a project that began with an issue and a cause, rather than compelling characters. --Robert Horton

Customer Reviews

STOP THIS LIBERAL HOLLYWOOD NONSENSE

Reviewed by Joseph M. Forgione, 2010-02-19

I am so sick and tired of this 'Hollywood Era' bashing this country in any angle they can find. Friends (veterans) of mine and I saw this movie and believe it or not a few guys left the room before it came close to the end. It's so anti-american. They follow right along with this current so called President's views. When is this stuff going to end? We're fighting this war because we were attacked. During World War II a person was not released until the duration or you were severely wounded. How about making some movies showing the courage and bravery of our military. "The Hurt Locker" is a step in the right direction. Never mind the "good" acting. These are professional actors and of course they're going to put in a good performance. This same nonsense happened with the boring dud movie "Lions for Lambs" with Redford, Streep and Cruise.

Stop-Loss

Reviewed by Arnita D. Brown, 2010-02-12

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. The acting was extraordinary from the three main soldiers, most notably Ryan Philippe who is so gritty and real in his performance that he seems like he actually is a marine. Channing Tatum gives a genuine performance, but Joseph Gordon-Levitt's is the most haunting of the trio as a soldier who fights his Post Traumatic Stress Disorder with excessive amounts of booze and slowly slips into a deep hole of despair. This is such emotionally powerful, deeply moving movie.

An emotionally honest, gut-punching film.

Reviewed by DanD, 2009-12-24

"Stop-Loss" is one of those films that divides its audience. Some will look at it and be appalled at its portrayal of our soldiers as people with troubles; others will applaud its attempt (not quite successful, but laudable nonetheless) to humanize our men and women of uniform. The film is emotional and honest; honesty is often disturbing, and "Stop-Loss" (especially with its opening scenes) isn't a film for everyone.

Honesty isn't everything, however, and "Stop-Loss" does have its problems. The film deals with cliches; this is, obviously, a Hollywood necessity, but it does suggest that all returning Iraq veterans suffer PTSD, which of course isn't true; smart film-goers will figure this out for themselves, but it is kind of annoying to see an otherwise-solid film bordering on stereotyping. And also, the second-half of the film isn't quite as gripping as the first; Phillippe is a great actor (and no, I never thought I would say that; but it's true), but the real dynamic of the film comes from the interaction of our four protagonists: returning vets Brandon (Phillippe), Steve (Channing Tatum, surprisingly good for a change), and Tommy (Joseph Gordon-Levitt, reliable as always); and Steve's fiancee, Michelle (Abbie Cornish, a wonder). When Brandon gets stop-lossed (meaning, even though he's finished his tour, they're sending him back), he goes AWOL, taking Michelle with him. It's here that the film slowly begins to unravel; we care more about the interaction between the four than we do Brandon's individual plight, and the film grows stronger near the end, when the four are (kind of, and don't worry, no spoilers) reunited.

There's a message in "Stop-Loss," of course; it is an anti-war film in the vein of great anti-war statements: it isn't in-your-face. Subtlety is the name of the game here, and director Kimberly Pierce more or less pulls that off (except towards the end). But the film, ultimately, doesn't really go anywhere; it doesn't get as deep as we want it to. The script is solid, the directing is good, and the acting is fantastic; but the movie isn't quite the sum of its parts, and comes off as something less than what it should have been. It's still recommendable viewing, however, and serves as one of the more intelligent anti-Iraq War films to come out lately. The film feels real, it feels gritty, and that's how it should be.

Love, Love, Love this movie!

Reviewed by Heather L. Runyan, 2009-07-11

I absolutely loved this movie, I like the war movies and how they show how real it, is. It shows 2 young men, who serve in the corp for their times, that they had signed on for. And when they are done serving their time, they go to Sign their papers stating that they get out. And one of them, gets a "stop-loss" the president stated that he needed "king" to go back to the war, he was such a great soldier, they needed him. But he didn't want to go back, he had served his time, and was done, done killing people, done with fighting the war. And it gets better from there, if you haven't seen this movie, you should see this one! It's a great movie! It shows you what a lot of soldiers are going through, right now. And has heart and there are some funny parts in the movie.

Worth Watching -- and Remembering

Reviewed by Richard Hine, 2009-07-03

Even though The New Yorker called it "forceful, effective, and alive, with the raw mixed up emotions produced by an endless war," the movie "Stop-Loss" only made about $11 million at the box office (or about what Transformers eat for breakfast). Tens of thousands of servicemen and women had their service in Iraq and Afghanistan involuntarily extended because of the stop-loss fineprint in their enlistment contracts. "Stop-Loss" puts a human face on this bait-and-switch policy -- and dramatically illuminates the ongoing costs of the war that play out when the troops come home.