Review of Stop-Loss (2008) by Sayed P — 29 Nov 2010

Not bad at all. This was the first time I had seen Phillipe since playing sleaze bag in that mivie about rich Manhattanite trust funders with Buffy the Vampire Slayer and he certainly seemed believable as the heroic Staff Sergeant King.

Stop Lossing is a little known practice by the US military whereby serving soldiers coming to the end of their contracts are redrafted against their will to serve a new term by Presidential request. Pretty shitty deal then.

When King is stopped lossed he decides to fight it and goes AWOL, but finds that in the end, realises that whilst being physically free, he can never truly escape the memories of the war or the friends from his unit.

The movie has a truly admirable central theme in asking the audience to consuder how these young men feel returning from war to their families and homes, as well as just how unfair a practice stop lossing is. But by far the most interesting statement made is when King goes to visit a young private who was horrifically injured in an ambush in Tikrit. On seeing the private King apologises for not saving him, a claim which the private, despite misding limbs, sight and being wheel chait bound, strongly disputes claiming that his Sgt really had saved him and that he (the private) was 'right there in front of him'. Looks can indeed be disceptive!