Stop-Loss (2008) - A

"Stop-Loss" is a strong military drama directed by Kimberly Pierce ("Boys Don't Cry.") The movie opens with a taut combat sequence. Brandon King's (Ryan Phillipe) squad is manning a checkpoint when they take fire from some insurgents in a car. Per standard operating procedure they chase the insurgents and end up in an ambush. The scene is really well directed. It is quite intense and really gives you a feeling for how messy urban combat can be. That action is on King's last day in Iraq, and he and his best friend Steve are planning to leave the military when they get home. Once Brandon gets home, however, he is shocked to find out that he has been "stop-lossed." This relatively unpublicized policy allows the U.S. military to prevent people from leaving the military when their contracts are up. With no draft in place, and military recruitment struggling due to the unpopular Iraq war, stop-loss is essentially being used by the military as a back door draft of people who have served in the military. I was aware of the policy before I saw the movie, but one of the statistics given in the movie that shocked me was that around 20% of the soldiers who have served in Iraq have been stop-lossed.

Brandon goes AWOL and decides to try and fight his being stop-lossed. The movie does an excellent job of showing how desperate Brandon's (and other people like him) situation is, as well as providing a bunch of perspectives on what the right thing for Brandon to do is.

"Stop-Loss" also does a good job of exploring the psychological damage that can happen to those who have served in Iraq. There are two major subplots, and both are interesting and effective. One subplot centers around Tommy Burgess (Joseph Gordon Levitt--the kid alien on "3rd Rock from the Sun,") one of the members of Brandon's squad. His best friend dies in the opening combat scene, and Tommy comes back from Iraq completely messed up. Tommy's friends' struggles to help him get it together are both compelling and gut wrenching.

The second subplot centers on Steve and his girl friend Michelle. Like Tommy, Steve has some issues from his time in Iraq, but the couple's major problem is Steve's desire to reenlist. Michelle loves Steve, but doesn't believe she can take another year of being apart from Steve and worrying about him in Iraq. She's simply not prepared to be a military wife.

All of the performances in the movie are good, and the script is excellent. The situations the characters are put in and their final choices are believable, if tragic. I can't exactly call the ending satisfying since it is so sad, but you walk out of the theater feeling like it ended the only way that made sense. I definitely recommend this movie.

Final Grade: A