Once a week we’re taking underrated films and giving you reasons to watch. Each one is hand-picked, of a different genre, and easily accessed and enjoyed. This week, one of the most overlooked war films of all time: ‘Casualties of War’ (1989).
SYNOPSIS: During the Vietnam War, a soldier finds himself the outsider of his own squad when they kidnap and rape a female villager.
Five reasons to watch:
1) Passion project
Not many people realise that Brian De Palma is a political man. His best known films (‘Scarface’, ‘Carrie’, ‘The Untouchables’) are morally fluid and fairly apolitical. It was only having recently watched the ‘De Palma’ documentary that I realised he was as political as his cohorts – Francis Ford Coppola. It’s often satisfying watching a great director create their passion project, and ‘Casualties’ is no exception. It took De Palma almost 20 years to get it made. No one wanted to see it come to life. No one thought it would make any money because of the brutality on show. He made it anyway because he believed so much in it. That’s dedication.
2) Technique put aside
My only criticism of Brian De Palma’s work (much like that of Hitchcock) is that technical verve and innovation is often such a focus that the more important emotional dynamics are given less attention. There’s a noticeable difference between ‘Blow Out’ (technically incredible) or ‘Snake Eyes’ and the more character-centric/emotionally driven films like this and ‘Carrie’.
3) Unexpected performances
Michael J Fox in a drama? It’s easy to pigeonhole actors; Michael J Fox is a prime example. Though he will forever be known as Marty Mcfly from the ‘Back to the Future’ movies, for me this is his finest performance. Who knew he could really act? ‘Casualties of War’ also brought several other actors to the world’s attention – Sean Penn (one of his best roles), John C Reilly’s first film, Don Harvey, John Leguizamo, Ving Rhames…countless others in the ensemble. It’s worth watching for the cast alone.
4) No glory in war
A lot of films fall into the trap of glamourising the “heroics” of being in war. The greatest quality of ‘Casualties of War’ is that the central act – the rape of a citizen by U.S forces – works symbolically to illustrate how the U.S and other Western nations continue to invade and pillage countries around the globe for their own gain.
5) Mastering Genre
Many De Palma films could fit in our underrated movies selection, but for me, his ability to flit into other genres and make them his own is truly what makes him a remarkable director. Best known as a master of suspense, De Palma here shows his hand at picking apart expectations of a war film and gives us his unique take. Several set pieces are of note, particularly a crane shot taking us underground to a tunnel, but his ability to control his actors and the dramatic interplays is the strongest element of the film.
TRIVIA
– Brian De Palma said that he had been trying to make this film since 1969 when he first read the ‘Casualties Of War’ article in The New Yorker. But with the Vietnam War still going on, there was no way that was going to happen, even for many years after it ended. However, in the 1980s, following the success of Vietnam War films ‘Platoon’ (1986) and ‘Full Metal Jacket’ (1987), and his own gangster hit ‘The Untouchables’ (1987), studio bosses at Paramount gave him the green light to start developing the project.
– During filming many of the actors became sick, because their immune systems were not used to the food in Thailand. Michael J. Fox said that after recovering, his stomach was then strong enough to eat anything.
– For Michael J. Fox’s shots, Sean Penn told him he was just a television actor and nothing more, to get a genuine rise for the camera.