By Lindsay Christ
At first glance “Stop-Loss” looks like it’s going to be a fairly vapid MTV movie filled with bar fights, gunfire and good-looking, shirtless men. However, it proves to be a tear-jerker filled with political issues that shows the emotional effects of being a soldier.
The movie starts out in Iraq with Sgt. Brandon King (Ryan Phillipe) and best friend, Steve Shriver (Channing Tatum), with their unit at a checkpoint where they make sure every car is safe to pass. When one car is filled with insurgents, the unit must follow them into the city to try to stop them, resulting in a bloody shooting spree. Afterwards they get to return home.
When they return to their small town in Texas, the soldiers receive a warm welcome from friends and family. However the happiness is short-lived, when it is soon realized that even though the soldiers are no longer at war, they carry scars, both physical and emotional, that affect their relationships with loved ones and their daily life in general.
Adding to the stress is the discovery by King that he has been “stop-lost,” which is a U.S. military procedure that involuntarily extends a soldier’s enlistment contract. Determined to stay at home, King goes AWOL and tries to find a way to fight going back to Iraq.
The movie is very compelling, mostly due to the fact that this is something that is actually happening to many soldiers today. While the main issue is the stop-loss policy, the film also shows how war can change soldiers. The men often turn to alcohol to drown their haunting memories, and this turns out to be even more destructive.
Their relationships with their girlfriends and wives become severed as they revert back to the violence they were used to in Iraq. It also addresses the issue that because this war is fought amongst Iraqi civilians, the soldiers confront the extra pressure of having to try as best as they can to protect while also protecting themselves against the terrorists. In return, they must deal with their consciences about having to kill innocent people while engaged in combat.
Phillipe shows off his best acting skills as he struggles to remain patriotic and honorable while fighting the system and becoming a fugitive. He also shows the emotional confusion he feels as the war continues to haunt him, often feeling like he is still in Iraq and having flashbacks about the civilians he had to kill to protect himself.
Abbie Cornish delivers an excellent performance as Michelle, the fiancée of Shriver who struggles to cope with his violent outbursts and the pressures of being an “army wife.”
Tatum plays the best friend who rejects King after he refuses to go back to the war, feeling that he was shirking his duty as a soldier. While Tatum’s acting brings added tension to King’s decision, the performance is mediocre.
Joseph Gordon-Levitt is outstanding as he shows the polar opposite of King, a soldier who wants to go back to Iraq and whose identity depends on the fact that he’s a soldier. Watching his downfall as he returns home is heart wrenching and sincere.
With the fifth year anniversary of the war in Iraq having recently passed, MTV Films and director Kimberly Pierce use the opportunity to spread awareness about soldiers’ plights. They’ve created an honest film that will have everyone in the theater fighting back tears.