Casualties of War
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- Trailer 1 (01:57)
Movie Info & Cast
Synopsis
During the Vietnam War, a soldier finds himself the outsider of his own squad when they kidnap a female villager for their sexual enjoyment.
Cast
- Michael J. Fox
- Sean Penn
- Don Harvey
- John C. Reilly
- John Leguizamo
- Thuy Thu Le
- Erik King
- Jack Gwaltney
- Ving Rhames
- Dan Martin
Letterboxd User Reviews
3.7
51.0K
17.9K
10.0K
- Apr 20, 2020
This is not a chill movie
Patrick WillemsSep 3, 2013"Oh, God. I'm sorry." At one point the military defense attorney shouts that being a witness isn't hazardous but De Palma would beg to differ. He tantalizes us by recording the hidden tunnels, enemies in wait either hiding behind us or looking just like us, codes we…
matt lynchFeb 2, 2017I don't know if I have the words yet...brief early thoughts - it's far more a film about America than Vietnam (but it's De Palma, so of course), and what strikes the most right now is how 'war' doesn't necessarily turn people into monsters, but rather amplify the…
Neil Bahadur - Apr 30, 2020
It'll be interesting to see how exactly the New Hollywood figures age in the years to come, and even if I personally prefer a Spielberg or a Lucas, in a way De Palma provides the best foundation for critical reappraisal, because he's the only one of that group who was…
Neil BahadurAug 5, 2016"This kinda thing could cause an international incident." Brutally interrogates the act of watching/witnessing as both a failure of action and yet also a moral imperative. Full discussion on episode 53 of my podcast SLEAZOIDS.
Josh LewisDec 28, 2024A fairly harrowing sequence of events to be portrayed on screen. I think Michael J. Fox did a great job, and Sean Penn was a pretty good unrelenting villian. Both John C. Reilly and John Leguizamo make their feature film debuts and put in good performances. Brian De Palma…
gregs1999 - Feb 16, 2023
Damn, leave it to De Palma to make one of the bleakest and most difficult to watch films about the horrors of war, but more specifically men at war. I’m surprised this isn’t more recognized because I personally would put it in a list of top war films. Sure, the subject…
𝚣𝚎𝚞𝚜Aug 19, 2023An essential war picture. Men turned into nothing but shadows, deprived of any light. What are we doing here? This isn’t the army. We were supposed to help these people. Michael J. Fox’s greatest work. Bleak, haunting nightmare, the devil that lies beneath.
owenMar 22, 2026well i’ve just been crying for two hours. it’s interesting because i watched Redacted before this, which is definitely a very similar De Palma movie (like…even beat for beat), though this one is much more lyrical and traditionally “cinematic” and since i’m a little cinema…
Vera Drew
Queue Community Reviews
81%
Community 495
Top Reviews
- Jimmy Cricket lovedCasualties of War
A superb film by Brain DePalma. This film is different from other American war films: it’s more so about America and their mistakes rather than Vietnam War and American being the good guy. The violence is done in a way to demonstrate the brutalities rather than be used as action
Manon lovedCasualties of WarFilm magnifique sur les crimes de guerre fait pendant le Vietnam par des soldats américains. Beaucoup d’émotion et parfois assez dure à regarder, je recommande fortement. Excellent film de guerre
Nadezna likedCasualties of WarReal and disgusting. I want to punch those 4 soldiers. Good movie though.
- Nathan Kleinow dislikedCasualties of War
bad
Mr pie likedCasualties of War7.5
Teamsliver likedCasualties of WarC+
Atom Users Reviews
Metacritic
Michael J. Fox is a revelation as the mouse that roared, whilst the score, the direction, and the rest of the cast turn a risky film into a solid addition to the Nam canon.
Ian Nathan
Empire
It stands as maybe the only great film by the director that I feel an unconscious crisis of conscience that makes me want to view it without an auteurist context.
Eric Henderson
Slant Magazine
More than most films, it depends on the strength of its performances for its effect - and especially on Penn's performance. If he is not able to convince us of his power, his rage and his contempt for the life of the girl, the movie would not work. He does, in a performance of overwhelming, brutal power.
Roger Ebert
Chicago Sun-Times
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Casualties of War (1989) family-friendly?
The movie has been rated as R, meaning that Under 17 requires an adult accompaniment.
How long is Casualties of War (1989)?
The movie is 1hr 53min long.
What's Casualties of War (1989) about?
During the Vietnam War, a soldier finds himself the outsider of his own squad when they kidnap a female villager for their sexual enjoyment.
Who's the cast of Casualties of War (1989)?
- Michael J. Fox as Eriksson
- Sean Penn as Sgt. Tony Meserve
- Don Harvey as Cpl. Thomas E. Clark
- John C. Reilly as PFC Herbert Hatcher
- John Leguizamo as PFC Antonio Diaz
- Thuy Thu Le as Oanh
- Erik King as Brown
- Jack Gwaltney as Rowan
- Ving Rhames as Lt. Reilly
- Dan Martin as Sgt. Hawthorne
Who's the director behind Casualties of War (1989)?
Brian De Palma directed Casualties of War (1989).
Who produced Casualties of War (1989)?
Fred C. Caruso and Art Linson produced Casualties of War (1989).
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