Courage Under Fire (1996)

User Rating:

6.6/10   

Director:

Edward Zwick

Writer (WGA):

Patrick Sheane Duncan (written by)

Release Date:

12 July 1996 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Mystery | War

Tagline:

In wartime, the first casualty is always truth.

Plot:

A US Army officer, despondent about a deadly mistake he made, investigates a female chopper commander's worthiness for the Medal of Honor.

Plot Keywords:

Honor | Medal Of Honor | Helicopter | Desert Storm | Captain

Awards:

9 wins & 2 nominations

US TV Schedule:

Thur. Nov. 12

8:00 PM

MyNetwork

Cast

Denzel Washington	...	Nat Serling
Meg Ryan	...	Karen Walden
Lou Diamond Phillips	...	Monfriez
Michael Moriarty	...	General Hershberg
Matt Damon	...	Ilario
Bronson Pinchot	...	Bruno
Seth Gilliam	...	Altameyer
Regina Taylor	...	Meredith Serling
Zeljko Ivanek	...	Banacek
Scott Glenn	...	Gartner
Tim Guinee	...	Rady
Tim Ransom	...	Boylar
Sean Astin	...	Patella
Armand Darrius	...	Robins
Mark Adair-Rios	...	Bobcat 5 (as Mark Adair-Riós)

Also Known As:

Mut zur Wahrheit (Austria) (Germany) [de]
À l'épreuve du feu (France) [fr]
Ates altinda cesaret (Turkey: Turkish title) [tr]
Bátrak igazsága (Hungary) [hu]
Coragem Debaixo de Fogo (Portugal) [pt]
Coragem Sob Fogo (Brazil) [pt]
Curaj în linia întâi (Romania) [ro]
Det afgørende bevis (Denmark) [da]
En honor a la verdad (Spain) [es]
I sanningens namn (Sweden) [sv]
Il coraggio della verità (Italy) [it]
Le courage à l'épreuve (Canada: French title) (TV title) [fr]
Ometz Tahat Esh (Israel: Hebrew title) [iw]
To timima tou tharrous (Greece) [el]
Tulikokeessa (Finland) [fi]
Valor bajo fuego (Argentina) [es]

MPAA:

Rated R for war violence and language.

Runtime:

117 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital

Certification:

USA:R (certificate #34505) | Iceland:14 (original rating) | Iceland:16 (video rating) | South Korea:15 | Philippines:PG-13 | New Zealand:M | Argentina:13 | Australia:M | Chile:14 | Finland:K-12 | Germany:12 (w) | Norway:15 | Portugal:M/12 | Spain:18 | Sweden:15 | UK:15 | Singapore:PG

Filming Locations:

Austin, Texas, USA

Company:

Fox 2000 Pictures

Trivia:

The unit portrayed in the movie, commanded by LTC Serling, is the 2nd Armored Cavalry Regiment (2nd ACR). The Regiment was comprised of heavy tanks (M1A1) and fighting vehicles (Bradly FV M3). The unit as such no longer exits. It is now known as the 2nd Cavalry Regiment (Stryker) which fights as an infantry (non-tanks) unit.

Goofs:

Factual errors: Lt. Col. Serling tells Gen. Hershberg that the tank was "hit by a uranium spent projectile" rather than using the correct terminology, "spent uranium projectile."

Quotes:

Tony Gartner, Washington Post: General, Colonel Sterling's order to activate lights, was that a standard response to enemy infiltration of the lines?
General Hershberg: At the critical moment, in spite of terrible losses, Colonel Sterling didn't hesitate to act. Ordering those tanks to turn on their lights saved the lives of God knows how many of our men. Heroic acts arise out of desperate circumstances.
Tony Gartner, Washington Post: I have no trouble at all believing Colonel Sterling is a hero.
General Hershberg: Like Captain Karen Walden. Did you know, Mr Gartner, that for the first time a woman is being considered for the medal of honor for her performance under fire? And, um... Colonel Sterling is just finishing up the inquiry. How's that going, Nat?
[...]

Movie Connections:

Referenced in The Creeps (1997)

Soundtrack:

Angel from Montgomery

A great Movie, Overlooked by too many

This movie has 2 stories that that run side by side, depicting the same image of war from different perspectives.

Denzel's story is one of sadness and guilt over the death of a friend during the Gulf war, a friend that he himself killed in a 'Friendly Fire' incident, during the confusion of battle. His country won't let him speak, and they shower him with medals; this only adds to the pain that begins to tear him apart.

Denzel's Character is given an assignment to determine whether a female helicopter pilot (Meg Ryan) deserves the medal of honour.

Meg's story, played out in flashbacks, is about a helicopter pilot and her crew saving a handful of soldiers, from the Iraqi onslaught. She is the first female to be considered for the medal of honour, and the question is, does she deserve what the American people would so love too see her receive.

Denzel, determined to get this one right, collects evidence and testimony from Ryans crew and the men that were saved. The problem is, Denzel's superiors want this medal awarded, but the simple truth is difficult to unveil. Every shred of evidence leads to more and more uncertainty as to whether this medal should be awarded.

Truly compelling direction and very special character portrayal make this an extremely enjoyable, very dramatic movie.

If you've over looked it, then give it a try. I think you'll be glad you did.

8/10