Stop-Loss

This movie earns a solid 8/10 on my scale. It is a great movie, and I recommend you see it. Yes, there have been several post-9/11 movies that have failed to capture a wide audience (In the Valley of Elah, Rendition, Lions for Lambs, The Kingdom) I personally loved Elah (performances and story) Stop-Loss has now become my favorite movie on the topic of that "war". It is driven by a solid screenplay and directed masterfully by Kimberly Peirce. The acting is simply amazing. Ryan Phillippe delivers one of his greatest performances. Major kudos also go to Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Channing Tatum. The movie shows you not only what kind of situations that these soliders are put in over there, but also and more importantly the effect that it has on them. And Peirce tells the story in a very original fashion. This movie is top notch quality on a subject that seems to have become taboo. It may not be too popular to take a stance or question our involvement over there, but no matter where you stand on the issue you cannot overlook that men and women are sent over there, put in harm's way, and too often left to fend for themselves upon returning. A great movie, don't miss it.