Casualties of War
Directed by	Brian De Palma
Produced by	Art Linson
Written by	Daniel Lang (article), David Rabe (screenplay)
Starring	Michael J. Fox, Sean Penn
Music by	Ennio Morricone
Distributed by	Columbia Pictures
Release date(s)	August 18, 1989
Language	English
Budget	$22,500,000
IMDb profile

Casualties of War is a 1989 war drama about the Vietnam War, starring Michael J. Fox and Sean Penn. It was directed by Brian De Palma, with a screenplay by David Rabe based on actual events that took place in 1966. An article written by Daniel Lang was the movie's primary source. A film poster for Casualties of War, contended as fair use. ... Brian De Palma (born James Giacinto DePalma on September 11, 1940 in Newark, New Jersey) is a prolific, and controversial American film director. ... Art Linson (b. ... David William Rabe (born March 10, 1940 in Dubuque, Iowa) is an American playwright and screenwriter. ... For other persons named Michael Fox, see Michael Fox (disambiguation). ... This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ... Ennio Morricone (born November 10, 1928; sometimes also credited as Dan Savio or Leo Nichols) is an Italian composer especially noted for his film scores. ... The Columbia Pictures logo from 1993 to the present Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc. ... is the 230th day of the year (231st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1989 (MCMLXXXIX) was a common year starting on Sunday (link displays 1989 Gregorian calendar). ... Year 1989 (MCMLXXXIX) was a common year starting on Sunday (link displays 1989 Gregorian calendar). ... A war film is any film dealing with war, usually focusing on naval, air, or land battle, but sometimes focusing instead on prisoners of war, covert operations, training, or other related subjects. ... A drama film is a film that depends mostly on in-depth character development, interaction, and highly emotional themes. ... Combatants Republic of Vietnam United States Republic of Korea Thailand Australia New Zealand The Philippines National Front for the Liberation of South Vietnam Democratic Republic of Vietnam People’s Republic of China Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea Strength US 1,000,000 South Korea 300,000 Australia 48,000... For other persons named Michael Fox, see Michael Fox (disambiguation). ... This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ... In mathematics, a directed set is a set A together with a binary relation ≤ having the following properties: a ≤ a for all a in A (reflexivity) if a ≤ b and b ≤ c, then a ≤ c (transitivity) for any two a and b in A, there... Brian De Palma (born James Giacinto DePalma on September 11, 1940 in Newark, New Jersey) is a prolific, and controversial American film director. ... This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ... David William Rabe (born March 10, 1940 in Dubuque, Iowa) is an American playwright and screenwriter. ...

The theme of Casualties of War is 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, and also about personal responsibility for maintaining that morality in extreme conditions. This article does not cite any references or sources. ... ←Dehumanization is a process by which members of a group of people assert the inferiority of another group through subtle or overt acts or statements. ... -1...

This film was Fox's second major dramatic role. A year earlier he had starred in the drama Bright Lights, Big City. John C. Reilly and John Leguizamo co-starred. ÜýÝ ... John Christopher Reilly (born May 24, 1965) is an Academy Award-nominated American actor. ... John Leguizamo (born July 22, 1964) is an Emmy-winning and Golden Globe Award-nominated American comedian, actor and producer. ...

Story

Tagline:

• Even in war... murder is murder.

The story is presented as a flashback of a Vietnam veteran. In literature, film, television and other media, a flashback (also called analepsis) is an interjected scene that takes the narrative back in time from the current point the story has reached. ... Vietnam veteran is a phrase used to describe someone who served in the armed forces of participating countries during the Vietnam War. ...

A squad of American soldiers loses one of its members in a village in the Central Highlands which is believed to be an ally to the Viet Cong. In retaliation, the squad kidnaps a Vietnamese girl, Than Thi Oanh (Thuy Thu Le) to be their sexual slave, much to the objection of one soldier, Private First Class Max Eriksson (Michael J. Fox) who wants no part of it. His objections are quashed by the squad's psychopathic leader, Sergeant Tony Meserve (Sean Penn), who is antagonistic towards the hero because of his qualms of conscience. During a firefight, the troops viciously murder the girl to avoid being discovered by their superiors. In the fire service a Squad is a Engine Company with a compliment of rescue tools. ... Municipality of Central Highlands The Municipality of Central Highlands is a local government area of Tasmania. ... A Viet Cong soldier, heavily guarded, awaits interrogation following capture in the attacks on Saigon during the festive Tet holiday period of 1968. ... Thuy Thu Le (born 23 August 1973) is a retired American actress of Vietnamese heritage. ... US Military In the U.S. Army, Private First Class is the third lowest enlisted rank, just above Private and below Corporal or Specialist. ... For other persons named Michael Fox, see Michael Fox (disambiguation). ... See Also: Antisocial Personality Disorder Theoretically, psychopathy is a three-faceted disorder involving interpersonal, affective and behavioral characteristics. ... Sergeant is a rank used in some form by most militaries, police forces, and other uniformed organisations around the world. ... This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ... Conscience is a faculty or sense that leads to feelings of remorse when we do things that go against our moral values, or which informs our moral judgment before performing such an action. ... See also the town of Battle, East Sussex, England Generally, a battle is an instance of combat between two or more parties wherein each group will seek to defeat the others. ...

After the battle, they cover up the murder but Eriksson refuses to let the secret die. He jeopardizes both his life and military career (thanks in large part to indifferent superiors who prefer to bury the matter) to expose the crime. Eventually, there is an investigation and the four men who participated in the rape and murder are court martialed and receive long sentences. Later, Sergeant Meserve and Corporal Thomas E. Clarke's sentences were reviewed and greatly reduced. Privates Herbert Hatcher (John C. Reilly) and Antonio Diaz (John Leguizamo) were retried and acquitted on appeal after it was determined that their Fifth Amendment rights were violated during the investigation and their confessions were ruled as inadmissible. A court-martial (plural courts-martial) is a military court that determines punishments for members of the military subject to military law. ... Corporal is a rank in use in some form by most militaries, police forces or other uniformed organizations around the world. ... John Christopher Reilly (born May 24, 1965) is an Academy Award-nominated American actor. ... John Leguizamo (born July 22, 1964) is an Emmy-winning and Golden Globe Award-nominated American comedian, actor and producer. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Trial de novo. ... The Fifth Amendment may refer to the: Fifth Amendment to the United States Constitution - part of the Bill of Rights. ... Modern confessional in the Church of the Holy Name, Dunedin, New Zealand. ...

Trivia

• The bridge location was filmed in Kanchanaburi, Thailand. This was the same location where the famous Bridge over the River Kwai is located.
• Stephen Baldwin was originally cast to play Hatcher, but De Palma did not like his acting and fired him, casting John C. Reilly instead. There are a couple scenes that have Baldwin in the background.

The Bridge over the river Kwai A World War II cemetery in Kanchanaburi Kanchanaburi (Thai: ) is a city in the west of Thailand. ... A bridge in Kanchanaburi in Thailand made famous in the book and film Bridge on the River Kwai. ... Stephen Baldwin (born May 12, 1966 in Massapequa, New York) is an American actor, best known for his role in the 1995 ensemble cult film, The Usual Suspects. ...

Quotes

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to:

Casualties of War

• "Girl-on-bus": "You had a bad dream, didn't you?"
• "Erikkson": "Yes."
• "Girl-on-bus": "Its over now, I think. Chao ong." (last spoken lines of the movie)

Image File history File links This is a lossless scalable vector image. ... Wikiquote is a sister project of Wikipedia, using the same MediaWiki software. ...

External links

• Casualties of War at the Internet Movie Database
• Casualties of Genre, Difference, and Vision: Casualties of War
• Casualties of war: history, realism, and the limits of exclusion
• Murder in a Combat Zone