Kimberley Peirce returns after a nine-year absence with Stop-Loss, a war drama about a decorated veteran who is ordered to return to Iraq after completing what he believed to be his last tour. Film critic Peter Travers described the movie as “The first major movie of the year that touches greatness.”
That’s not exactly accurate. Stop-Loss reaches for greatness, but it never really makes contact.
The movie centers on a group of friends who all fought together in a squad in the Army. In the last days of their Iraq tour they are attacked and led into an ambush. This event weighs heavily on them, leading some of them down paths that, well, lead to nothing pleasant.
The movie is actually pretty good up until the actual stop-loss occurs. After that it descends into a trite melodrama. I’d expected much more from the woman behind the brilliant Boys Don’t Cry. Instead we get nothing more than an overacted grunt fest.
In actuality, there are only two decent performances in the movie. The first is Joseph Gordon-Levitt, who to be honest is probably incapable of giving a bad performance. He plays Tommy, a soldier spiraling out of control after the events in his last days in Iraq. He gives a quiet, brooding performance that is sadly underused.
The second is Abbie Cornish. She plays the girlfriend of Channing Tatum’s character. She portrays Michelle with a boiling undercurrent of emotion at the thought of losing her boyfriend to the war.
Unfortunately, no one really has much to work with, as the script isn’t anything to write home about - not surprising if the rumor of there being no less than 65 drafts is to be believed. Like I said, it starts off well, but seems to crumble under its own sense of self-importance.
Article comments
1 - Derek Fleek
Stop Loss is the best movie of the year so far. Therefore I can't help but disagree with your review.