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Stop-Loss | 
 enlarge | Director: Kimberly Peirce
Actors: Ryan Phillippe, Abbie Cornish, Joseph Gordon-levitt, Rob Brown, Channing Tatum
Studio: Paramount
Category: Movie
Buy New: $3.99
Rating:  38 reviews
Sales Rank: 5637
Genre: Drama
Rating: R (Restricted)
Media: Video On Demand
Running Time: 113 Minutes
ASIN: B001DXC6Z0
Theatrical Release Date: March 28, 2008
Release Date: October 1, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Customer Reviews: Read 33 more reviews...
 Check your politics at the door and enjoy the performance August 31, 2008
William A. Jackson (Van Nuys, CA USA)
5 out of 6 found this review helpful
The film has an anti-war message and it appears to me that most reviewers seem to love it or hate it depending on whether they agree with that message. Try to put your politics aside and just appreciate this film as a first-rate piece of cinematic art with powerful performances by the entire cast. There is not one weak performance. I also urge those who are obsessed with military technical accuracy to put their quibbles aside. I was a cold-war era anti-submarine warrior and I can't watch "The Hunt for Red October" without being mildly annoyed by some technical inaccuracies, but it's still one of my favorite films.
Must see! July 29, 2008
Eloise (Hollywood, CA)
4 out of 5 found this review helpful
At first I was not interested in this movie -- I don't care for war movies and I had a tough time getting past the first 1/2 hour. However, at my family's urging I did see the whole movie and realized it was one of the best movies I have ever seen. My cringing at the initial violence turned out to be the point of the movie. The performers were absolutely excellent and the thoughts and issues raised in this movie will stay with me forever. This movie is a must -see for everyone!
I feel for them... August 14, 2008
Carola Marberry (Liberty, TX USA)
4 out of 5 found this review helpful
An abolutely great movie with great performances by Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Channing Tatum and especially by Ryan Phillippe.
It shows what the war can do to these young soldiers fighting the war in Iraq - while they are there and after they come back - .... HOME ... A normal life ? What do you think ? No, not so.
Just watch the movie - it is worth it !!!
This movie is one of a kind! July 8, 2008
Demario Moore (Memphis,Tennessee USA)
7 out of 10 found this review helpful
I actually thought that this would be just another war movie. I was wrong. It's actually not a war movie at all. This is simply a story about a soldier that has done his time in Iraq and the same country he's just fought for refuses to let him leave. I had no idea this was going on. Thank-God i decided not to join the military. I always hated the fact that the army acts as if they own the troops. They are not property of the United States, they are defenders of our country. Ryan Phillippe gives one of the best performences of his career. I believe he's one of the most underated actors in hollywood. This movie is definately a must see.
A Heartfelt, Memorable Film. July 18, 2008
Mr. Fellini (El Paso, Texas United States)
1 out of 2 found this review helpful
Hollywood has been having a hard time capturing the American post-9/11 experience, some films like "Lions For Lambs" are muddled political commentaries. Documentaries have done much better capturing the Iraq experience, especially "Operation Homecoming" and "Taxi To The Dark Side." Kimberly Peirce's "Stop-Loss" is one of the best dramatic efforts about Iraq yet produced, it has a lighter heart than the dark "In The Valley Of Elah" and makes a better effort at trying to understand the situation of soldiers returning from the front. It captures one particular phenomenon, I doubt Peirce meant this as a commentary on all Iraq war veterans in general, and no film could possibly capture the entire scope of the wartime experience in just an hour and forty-five minutes.
"Stop-Loss" follows a group of small-town Texan soldiers returning from Iraq after brutal urban combat experiences. The film wonderfully captures the atmosphere and people of rural Texas with settings that feel completely authentic. The soldiers themselves are well-written, the screenply by Mark Richard and Kimberly Peirce create a gang of friends we grow to care about. They don't feel like cardboard recycles of previous films but like real young men experiencing traumatic events. Ryan Phillippe is especially convincing in his performance and loses himself in tone, accent and attitude. He's a long way from the kid we first met in films like "Cruel Intentions" and "54."
Peirce manages to create a film that mixes powerful drama with political commentary and visceral action. The scenes in Iraq are sharp and well-done, never evoking the morbid adrenaline of "Rambo," instead she captures the confusion and raw reality of combat. Some will cringe or complain over the sight of Iraqi civilians being killed, but such is the reality of what is happening, those who disagree are welcome to put the film aside. The political angle of the film is well-handled, it is obvious this is an anti-war movie, but it also doesn't feel like a sermon. Peirce lets the characters, events and situations express the politics, it isn't like "Lions For Lambs," which was literally just a discussion put on film. Here a character chooses to run, and the story follows his journey with intensity and emotion. Through simple, realistic moments of doubt, compassion and unity, Peirce expresses ideas about how our soldiers are being treated by the system, and without raising banners makes important questions about the nature of the war itself. This isn't a Michael Moore film, but it is an intelligent film that forces the audience to consider ideas and opinions as they are entertained by the main character's intense, uncertain quest.
There is some controversy generated over the film's main focus, the issue of "stop-losses" in the military where soldiers are forced to recycle service in Iraq or Afghanistan. Does it happen? According to official records it does. Does it happen exactly as in the movie? Maybe not, but keep in mind that films are forced to condense information for the sake of time and drama. Those who have questions should simply look-up any news or scholarship on the subject. Others are also angry at the depictions of soldiers coming back scarred from war, with serious emotional problems. Again, Peirce is not saying this is the ENTIRE experience for soldiers, her film is focusing on this particular, well-documented side of what soldiers returning from Iraq are going through.
"Stop-Loss" is a moving, heartfelt picture, and yet the controversy expressed by some reviews should be expected. This is one of those special films that has important things to say in the age of commercialism, where issues like war and violence are reduced to cartoon junk food like "Transformers" or "Rambo." This is a film about people who have experienced a war and must deal with the aftermath. It is in the same league as previous statements in previous times like "Johnny Got His Gun" or "Born On The Fourth Of July." It does not dishonor the troops, on the contrary, it is speaking for those who's conscience is making them think. A previous reviewer mentions that we have a volunteer army, this is true, and because our men in uniform have chosen to defend our country they deserve better than being sent to fight a war without reason, for imperialism and oil. These are conclusions I drew, you may draw different ones.
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