"I'm gonna find out the truth...I guarantee it."      

COURAGE UNDER FIRE (Rated R) 

Courage Under Fire tells the story of Lt. Col. Nat Serling (Denzel Washington), an officer examining the case of Capt. Karen Walden (Meg Ryan), who is being considered for the Medal of Honor (posthumously) for her actions during a rescue/combat mission in the Gulf War. In his investigation, Serling meets with a number of witnesses who each recount the events which transpired from a slightly different perspective.  Trying to piece together "the truth" becomes Serling's task, as he himself is haunted by his own ghosts from the battlefield.

Those who go into this movie thinking that it's about the Gulf War (some critics have gotten hung up on this), or that it's some kind of action flick, will be greatly disappointed.  This movie is NOT about the Gulf War, and at heart it may not be about war at all.  It is instead about actions, and consequences, and perceptions, and accountability, and the search for truth.  As in many things in life, the "doing" part is easy, it's dealing with the consequences that's difficult.  It also doesn't help that a number of people can see the same event and each come out of it with a different take on what happened.  

What is the truth, and does it matter?  Courage Under Fire attempts to explore some of these themes, and in good part it achieves its goals.  Director Edward Zwick (Glory, Legends of the Fall) does an excellent job of storytelling, cinematically portraying a single event from different perspectives and keeping each retelling alive and fresh for the audience.  Denzel Washington is excellent as usual, and Meg Ryan successfully sheds some (not all) of her pixie-cute charisma to turn in a commendable performance for herself.

IMPRESSIONS

Curious casting: still having trouble picturing Meg Ryan as a war hero?  I know the feeling, but one must keep an open mind, mustn't one?

I don't want to keep an open mind, I hate Meg Ryan: then you'll be glad to know that she's already dead when the movie starts, and then they kill her over and over and over as the movie progresses...

Audience reaction: as this movie ended, I noticed one man in the theater had fallen asleep; I also noticed two that were crying...see, it just depends on how you look at things...

Question left unanswered: did George Bush get paid to appear in this movie?

Responses from cyberspace--thanks for writing!!

cus55@yahoo.com gives this movie  stars. (7/3/98)

Ikari Warrior gives this film  stars: "An excellent movie." (6/21/97)