Stop Loss
Lissa Coffey
Grade: B
| Stop Loss is a really difficult movie to watch because it is so real, and so tragic to think that all of this is really going on right now. Ryan Phillippe stars as Brandon King, a young soldier and war hero who has served multiple tours in Iraq. His experiences in the war have left him disillusioned and heartbroken. Just as he is about to complete his contract and be released, he is “stop-lossed” – meaning that he is to be sent back to Iraq to fight again. He disputes this, and when his voice goes unheard, he runs.
Brandon’s war buddies are as shaken as he is by their experiences, but they each handle it in a different way. Steve, played by Channing Tatum, actually re-enlists, knowing that the war offers him job security as a sniper, a job he is good at. His fiance Michele, played by Abbie Cornish, is tired of waiting around for Steve, so she dumps him, and ends up helping Brandon figure out what he is going to do. Stop Loss is heartwrenching. It’s a story that needs to be told, and it should be eye-opening for audiences. |