Stop-Loss

Review by Louise Keller: In this disturbing film, director Kimberly Peirce tells a different kind of war story. Ryan Philippe is excellent as the traumatised Sergeant with a demon on his back, but this demon becomes a false engine in the film's emotional story. ... Full Review

Much of Stop-Loss is devoted to King slowly arriving at the devastating realisation there is no longer any place like home in his life.....smouldering away at the core of Stop-Loss....channelled perfectly by Ryan Phillippe in the lead role.... ... Full Review

Given the poor judgement calls, left-wing agendas and straight-out bad storytelling that has hobbled most films about Iraq, it is perhaps faint praise to declare Stop-Loss the most mature, intelligent, topical and emotionally confronting take on the war thus far. ... Full Review

Admirable intentions aside, Stop-Loss is a sturdy drama that fails to truly make the impact it should. The film also fails to capitalise on a couple of points. Unfortunately the film is a little heavy-handed. ... Full Review

The movie motors along so quickly that some of that subtext gets lost. " Stop-Loss" slipped in and out of theaters last spring with little fanfare, except for all those media reports that cited its poor box office performance as evidence that Iraq war movies don't sell. ... Full Review

Understanding that back story, as well as the filmmakers' strong work ethic, makes Stop-Loss an even more admirable project. That's the basic narrative, but of course the real story is the subtext: the impact that multiple stints in Iraq are having on thousands of American soldiers The movie motors along so quickly that some of that subtext gets lost. ... Full Review

MTV Films emotionally gripping story of a group of friends struggling with personal battles and moral conflict arrives on DVD when STOP-LOSS debuts July 8, 2008 from Paramount Home Entertainment. Raw and riveting (Peter Travers, Rolling Stone), STOP-LOSS is a defining movie about a new generation of heroes (Pat Collins, WWOR) that realistically captures the challenges facing so many young people in America today. ... Full Review

Peirce came within inches of making a good movie The movie is at its best when all of its characters interact. The "Stop-Loss" DVD includes a behind-the-scenes feature, a short about boot camp and 11 deleted scenes. ... Full Review

The film can sometimes be frustrating....But realism doesn't make a better movie, just a more sensitive one.....Stop-Loss didn't do well at the box office for obvious reasons.....although actor Channing Tatum called the whole thing a "glorified paint ball match", actor Joseph Gordon-Levitt almost appears disgusted with himself when he admits "killing" his first guy felt "fucking fantastic"..... ... Full Review

Stop-Loss never recovers from the brilliant opening moments -- viewers are plunged into ground-level chaos as young men, United States soldiers all, deal with a messy, bloody and rapidly escalating situation on the deadly streets of Baghdad. After the searing opening sequence in Iraq, Stop-Loss devolves into heated exchanges that aren't discussion between characters but rather the airing of opposing views that feels didactic and wooden. ... Full Review