Back home

Stop-Loss

268 votes

Producing House

A veteran soldier returns from his completed tour of duty in Iraq, only to find his life turned upside down when he is arbitrarily ordered to return to field duty by the Army.

movie

Status: Released

Released Date: 2008-03-28

Runtime: 113 mins

Director: Kimberly Peirce

Writer: Mark Richard, Kimberly Peirce

Spoken language: English

Genres: Drama, War

Original title: Stop-Loss

Production Companies: MTV Films, Peirce Pictures, Paramount Pictures, Scott Rudin Productions

Production Countries: United States of America

Reviews

J

John Chard
Extended Enlistment. Kimberley Peirce’s (Boys Don’t Cry) movie proved to be controversial in military circles. The story is about the stop-loss procedure used by the American military, a kind of small print tactic that can extend a soldiers service should their country deem it so. Sergeant Brandon King (Ryan Phillippe) returns home from the Gulf Wars with his mentally scarred pals fully expecting to get back to a domestic life without blood and brains dominating his personal landscape. Yet he is called back in for another tour of Iraq under the stop-loss procedure, something he rebels against and goes AWOL. He has done two tours already, surely he has earned his retirement? It starts off in electrified fashion, the horrors of the war in Iraq bursting from the screen as a firefight ensues, character traits are introduced to us, we are left in no doubt that the soldiers at the end of this tour of duty have seen it all. Pic then settles into a sort of cross between a road movie and a PTSD portrait awash with emotional strangulation. Peirce and her co-writer Mark Richard have honourable intentions, but too much is given over to stereotyping, of stock clichés and the bold signposting of character’s futures. They carefully paint King as a model soldier, this is definitely not about cowardice, but come the cop-out finale it’s evident that the narrative suffers glaring inconsistencies and confused messaging. On the bonus side is the performances of the youthful cast, where some fluctuating accents aside, Phillippe, Channing Tatum and Abbie Cornish are superb, while Joseph Gordon-Levitt makes a weakly written part crackle with pained emotion. Of the elders, most are underwritten, which is a shame when you got the likes of Ciaran Hinds in the cast. We are left as a whole with a film that is as uneven as a dusty road in Tikrit, not only in narrative structure, but also in actual facts as regards the procedures of the American military, both on the written documents and execution of duty in battle. It was a flop at the American box-office and it’s not hard to see why, but it still has merits. Even as the familiarity tries to breed contempt, the anguished reality of a soldiers life, during tours and post service time, strikes a mightily distressing chord. 6.5/10
2015-03-07

Recommendations

The Ponder Heart
2

The Ponder Heart

2001-10-15

Uncle Daniel Ponder moves to give away his fortune, while his niece, Edna Earle, tries to tighten th

Ek Cup Chya
4

Ek Cup Chya

2009-12-04

A bus conductor from India and his family struggle to deal with a ridiculously large electricity bil

All Cats Are Grey
3.4

All Cats Are Grey

2014-10-23

Paul is a chubby kind-­‐hearted amateur detective. Dorothy is an intense upper class teenager. Paul

Being 14
2

Being 14

2015-02-25

The lives and turbulent adventures of a bunch of fourteen-year-old teenagers, through the eyes of th

Nevada
1.8

Nevada

2017-10-14

In this stop-motion animated comedy, a young couple's romantic weekend getaway is interrupted by a b

Harriet the Spy
3

Harriet the Spy

1996-07-10

When the secret notebook of a young girl who fancies herself a spy is found by her friends, her spec

The Japanese Wife
3.3

The Japanese Wife

2010-04-09

Snehmoy and Miyage are pen friends who exchange wedding vows through letters. Fifteen years pass but

Bring mich nach Hause
3

Bring mich nach Hause

2021-10-25

Sandra and Ulrike have to decide the fate of their mother, who falls into a coma due to a ruptured a

A Woman Judge
2.5

A Woman Judge

1962-11-03

The newly-restored film by one of Korea's first female director follows a female judge's struggles i

Sophie Jones
2.5

Sophie Jones

2021-04-02

Inspired by true experiences of grief, girlhood, and growing up, Jessie Barr’s SOPHIE JONES provides

On a Clear Day
3.2

On a Clear Day

2005-08-18

After decades of laboring as a Glasgow shipbuilder, Frank Redmond, a no-nonsense 55-year-old working

Nathalie...
2.9

Nathalie...

2003-09-11

Paris doctor Catherine starts to think her husband, Bernard, is having an affair when she hears an u

Bran Nue Dae
2.7

Bran Nue Dae

2009-08-09

In the Summer of 1965 a young man is filled with the life of the idyllic old pearling port Broome -

The Little Chimney Sweep
0

The Little Chimney Sweep

1934-01-01

Silhouette animated film based on the novella "The Mohock and the Unicorn" by E. W. White. This is t

Alias Baby Tsina
0

Alias Baby Tsina

1984-10-18

Baby Tsina a famous underworld figure during the 50's who acquired the nickname because of her ivory

Those Who Whisper
0

Those Who Whisper

2007-03-21

Anna a teacher with alcohol related problems wakes up one morning in her house and finds a dead 16-y

Shara
3.2

Shara

2003-07-12

The Aso family live in the old town of Nara. One Day, Kei, one of the Aso's twin boys suddenly disap

Paju
3

Paju

2009-10-28

A young woman living in the South Korean town of Paju recalls the last 8 years of her life, since a

The General - Attempt at Gibraltar
1.4

The General - Attempt at Gibraltar

2009-04-03

The film presents the last days of Gen. Sikorski, right before the Gibraltar catastrophe. The comman

Janosik
2

Janosik

2009-09-04

The story of Janosik, a legendary "Central European Robin Hood", based on real XVIII century documen