STOP-LOSS (2008)

I saw a bunch of fascinating movies recently that I have not written about, Bank Job, Doomsday, "Run Fat-boy run" and 21 which were all fantastic

This one was different, it was not action although it did have a bunch of action in it. The sound track and the psychological dimension were amazing.

There were parts where I really felt upset. The movie stereo types 'some' Arabs as being filled with hate. In one scene, they show a father trying to flee an apartment where the brave soldiers have just hand-grenaded. Killing everyone, one insurgent and at least 7 women, children and an old man. Collateral damage is understandable. But as the soldier picks up his buddy who went Rambo and charged the building and it's residents alone. They come face to face with a man carrying his child, a hand grenade, and an AK47 Kalashnikov (and they make sure you see he's well armed). The man turns around shouting "Allahu Akbar" in an attempt to kill the soldiers right before he falls down riddled with bullets along with his son.

This was the part that I was really about to walk out after shouting Allahu Akbar, but my Dutch friend (yeah, I have Dutch friends) calmed me down. The way they stereo typed the Arabic insurgent as filled with hate to the point that he would sacrifice himself and his child to shoot an American instead of fleeing the scene of a massacre is just beyond me. Although, someone might rationalize this as the man wanting revenge for his shredded family. But I believe survival instinct and parental preservation of his son would overcome everything and makes him flee instead.

The movie progresses as it follows the decorated soldier who have screwed up badly (well, he follows a cab into an alley anyone with no military experience will tell you that's a tactical mistake) but, nevertheless he gets a purple heart, a star of valor and hero's welcome when he back home. He loses few buddies some make it back in several useless pieces. Some did all of that, suffered all of that, and lost everything, just to get their families the green card. I don't think it gets any more sad than that.

Resisting a "Stop-less" (aka back door drafting) from the "Boot" (Army), he goes A-wall (deserts and runs away). The movie follows closely the sad realities he have face, along with his buddies. Worse yet, he will witness first hand how the "boot" comes really down hard on them. As not a single government official or elected representative would acknowledge or get in touch with them man who just wants out.

Very tragic from the point of view of the soldiers. This movie is obviously not about Iraq, or the conditions there, or politics. It's about the simple soldiers and the view from the bottom.

Don't miss it! Watch it for two parts and it would be worth it. F' the president scene, and a soldier giving the flag the finger. Which is very unusual for main stream movie because these are Soldiers, military people, not free-sex-free-drugs-peace-love-hippies, but military people.