Review of Stop-Loss (2008) by Jazmine A — 07 Dec 2008

In spite of some of its flaws, this film touched a nerve in me. For that alone, I give this movie three stars. For what is the purpose of story but to move its hears and the fact that this movie did so for me makes it a worthy undertaking in my book. I agree with others who have said that there were story elements unnecessarily included to drive home the point of the storytellers (i.e., "stop lossing soldiers is unjust and needs to cease as a practice of the US military"). I'm a little disappointed that the writers didn't trust the characters to convey this to the audience, but Stop Loss wouldn't be the first movie to focus too much on the "point" and not enough on the story.

I also admit that a couple of the director's choices for shots to "linger" on didn't make much sense to me and distracted from the storyline (which is a sign that the director is trying too hard . . . but I must say I'd rather have the director fall on this side of the line than on the "phone it in" side).

In the end, the performances were heartfelt and the film's creators were honest in their story telling . . . and, that, at the end of the day, is all I can ask for. For those interested in stories of modern day injustices, I would recommend this film.