Review of Taking Chance (2009) by Tyler L — 17 Jul 2011

Without a doubt the best movie that HBO Films has done. The movie was not a striking indictment of the Iraq War or a piece that supported the war, but an apolitical drama about one Marine's commitment in serving his nation in a time of war and another Marine(Kevin Bacon)'s service in bringing him home. Kevin Bacon(in his very deserving Golden Globe winning performance) shows emotion and reverence as Lt. Colonel Michael Strobl, a veteran of the first Gulf War who has since become a Marine who works in an office crunching numbers. He personally volunteers to escort the remains of PFC Chance Phelps(later promoted posthumously to Lance Corporal), a Marine killed in Iraq on Good Friday 2004. Along the way, Lt. Colonel Strobl encounters many acts of reverence and kindness from complete strangers who know why Strobl is traveling this cross-country journey.

The beautiful thing about the film was how "pro-American" in a sense it was. Not in terms of propaganda, but in terms of human emotion. Just 40 years earlier in a similarly unpopular conflict the attitudes of Americans had changed from being hateful and distrustful of our the men and women of the Armed Forces in the Vietnam War to one of kindness, understanding, and genuine appreciation for those return from Iraq and Afghanistan. This film showed many things that were great about The United States and how we as a people have grown to truly love our brave men and women in uniform. Despite our feelings about the government, the politics, or the causes of war, we must always respect and give gratitude to those who sacrifice their time, family, and possibly their lives for The United States and it's citizens.

This film left me with a genuine appreciation for not just the Armed Forces to which I already had a huge amount of respect for...but also for the genuine talent of Kevin Bacon. I had always considered him a "good" actor, but now I think he is deserving of a "near great" or "great" actor. I unfortunately never watched it when it was on HBO, but I am glad I bought it on DVD through the recommendation of a friend. This movie left me in tears by the end of it.

Very rare to give a television movie 5/5, but this is the so far one exception!