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Courage Under Fire [Blu-ray]

1 disc
Region 1 USA/CA (info)

Following the 1991 Gulf War, Lieutenant Colonel Nathaniel Serling (Denzel Washington) is assigned to review the background of the late Captain Karen Walden (Meg Ryan), who has been posthumously nominated for a medal of honor. While investigating Walden's candidacy, Serling is forced to face his own disillusionment and guilt surrounding the war. As he begins the interviewing process, he uncovers several inconsistencies in the stories told by the late pilot's crew. The three officers, who may or may not have been saved by the captain's actions, all give drastically different accounts of the events leading up to Walden's death. Ilario (Matt Damon) paints Walden as an unselfish, courageous hero, while the surly Monfriez (Lou Diamond Phillips) describes her as a crybaby and a coward. The third soldier, Altameyer (Seth Gilliam), lies dying in an army hospital, mumbling guilty confessions in a medicated haze. Similar to the storytelling technique used in Akira Kurosawa's RASHOMON, director Edward Zwick's COURAGE UNDER FIRE features each officer's account of the fateful incident reenacted onscreen, offering wildly diverse portrayals of Walden. Meg Ryan shines in a role that demands she play one character a multitude of ways. As Serling pieces together the radically different tales of combat, he uncovers the painful truth and simultaneously faces his own pent-up guilt regarding the war.
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- Rating - For war violence and language.
Additional Info

Manufacturer Part Number (MPN): 2241427
Credits

Michael Moriarty, Matt Damon, Meg Ryan, Bronson Pinchot, Denzel Washington, Seth Gilliam, Lou Diamond Phillips, Scott Glenn
Critic Reviews

"...Denzel Washington is a potent actor in peak form....COURAGE UNDER FIRE honors its subject and its audience..."
Rolling Stone
"...Thoughtful. Intelligent. Moving. Provocative..." -- 4 out of 4 stars
USA Today
"...[Washington gives a] haunted, nearly implosive performance." -- Rating: B+
Entertainment Weekly
"...A carefully conceived, dramatically honorable picture that treats its subject with clarity and intelligence..."
Variety
"...Intelligent, involving and serious....Lou Diamond Phillips gives an intense, focused performance..."
Los Angeles Times
"...Zwick's direction handles the many conflicting story possibilities with great clarity..."
Chicago Sun-Times