Film poster for Casualties of War

Casualties of War is a 1989 war movie about the Vietnam War, starring Michael J. Fox and Sean Penn. It was directed by Brian De Palma. A film poster for Casualties of War, contended as fair use. ... A film poster for Casualties of War, contended as fair use. ... 1989 is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Film refers to the celluloid media on which movies are printed Film — also called movies, the cinema, the silver screen, moving pictures, photoplays, picture shows, flicks, or motion pictures, — is a field that encompasses motion pictures as an art form or as part of the entertainment industry. ... The Vietnam War was a war fought roughly from 1957 to 1975 after the North Vietnamese government secretly agreed to begin involvement in South Vietnam. ... Michael J. Fox (born June 9, 1961) is a Canadian-born actor, made famous by his role in the Back to the Future trilogy. ... Sean Penn winning the 2004 Oscar for the Best Actor Sean Penn (born August 17, 1960) is an American film actor. ... Brian De Palma (born September 11, 1940 in Newark, New Jersey) is an American film director. ...

A squad of American soldiers loses one of its members in a village which is believed to be an ally to the Viet Cong. In retaliation, the squad kidnaps a Vietnamese girl to be their sexual slave. During a fire fight, they viciously murder the girl to avoid being discovered by their superiors. After the battle, they cover up the murder. A Viet Cong soldier, heavily guarded, awaits interrogation following capture in the attacks on Saigon during the festive Tet holiday period of 1968. ...

The film is about how normal moral behavior is discarded during war times and shows it in the extreme when soldiers become savages who can dehumanize innocent by-standers. The film is also about personal responsiblity for maintaining that morality in extreme conditions.