At their worst, American movies are good at exploiting two things :
-The lurid side of fallen humanity, a side that’s amplified by degree with each increasing measure of sex and violence.
-Stories that hinge on the exploitation of developing nations, especially stories that make Western viewers feel good about being morally superior to the oppressors being shown on screen.
Casualties of War is a film about the true-life incident of American soldiers kidnapping and raping a Vietnamese girl during the Vietnam War. Given this subject, it is ripe for falling into those two categories of exploitation.
The question we must answer about this film, then, is whether it falls into those slimepits or stands as vital art.
On the positive side, I believe this is a film that wants to be serious about grieving these horrible incidents rather than wallowing in them. The gravity of Michael J. Fox’s performance as the one soldier tormented by the incidents brings us into this grieving.
Sean Penn’s presence, however, leads the film down the road toward exploitation. As the squad leader of the group who carried out these crimes, Penn brings a movie-star/De Niro swagger to his role. I understand why some may see Penn’s intensity as the mark of a great performance, since we feel as viewers that we need someone with this level of EVIL to convince us that this group could have carried out these heinous acts. However, I experienced this performance as Penn shouting to the audience : “Look at me! I’m acting! I’m evil! Be amazed.”
My answer to the question : It is hard to grieve these horrors along with a film that seems to invite such a “virtuosic” performance. This is not the worst of American movies, but some of the scenes with Penn invite us to consider whether it could have almost become one.
Be careful, my beloved movies, how you tell the stories you tell.
