Review of Courage Under Fire (1996) by Filipeneto — 03 Sep 2019

In this movie, a US Army officer, still disturbed by a friendly fire episode that starred in the Gulf War, has to investigate the events of another war episode in order to find out if a military woman is entitled to the Medal of Honor. But there are incongruities in witness reports and the investigation may reveal the worst of the military involved.

I confess I expected more from this movie. Great actors, an appealing script, everything perfect... but it's not surprising, something is missing. The script is good, but could be much better. The Gulf War is never properly exploited and conflict is only a reason for the events that follow. The rest is based on a constant crossover of testimonials about a single isolated war incident, where one soldier says one thing and another says something else entirely. It's not a bad recipe, but it tires and easily wears out. The action scenes are good, but do not justify a second viewing.

The cast has a number of well known names. Firstly, Denzel Washington and Meg Ryan in the lead roles. He is good when the lead requires presence, personality and charisma; she does not look very well in this movie. I think the character would not be the most suitable for these actress, which was a casting mistake. Matt Damon and Lou Diamond Phillips were fine.

Technically, the movie doesn't stand out. Good sound and special effects, especially in combat scenes, interesting costumes, like what we were expecting. A very discreet soundtrack... nothing more.