Stop-Loss (2008)

'Stop' Circles

By Jeffrey M. Anderson

Buy Stop-Loss on DVD

Writer/director Kimberly Peirce (Boys Don't Cry) had to wait nine years for her sophomore slump, but what a slump! Telling the story of soldiers who finish their tours of duty only to be shipped back to Iraq, Stop-Loss could have used subtext to deliver its message, but instead it's all text. The heavy, preachy film comes complete with a mournful, thrumming score and overly familiar hand-held war footage. Ryan Phillippe is the "stop-lossed" soldier, who hits the road with his best friend's girlfriend (Abbie Cornish) to fight for his cause; Peirce is so busy complaining that she forgets to explore the awkward sexual tension between the two. It's one long, angry howl with nary a pause for breath. Channing Tatum and Joseph Gordon-Levitt co-star.

DVD Details: I interviewed Kimberly Peirce in 1999, and she struck me as one of the most awe-inspiringly intelligent filmmakers I've ever met, but she comes across as rather reserved on her commentary track on Paramount's new DVD. The disc also includes the usual making-of featurette, and an interesting 10-minute featurette about the film's boot camp (all-new footage!). Other extras include deleted scenes and previews.

AskMen.com: Stop-Loss

Starring: Ryan Phillippe, Channing Tatum, Abbie Cornish, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Rob Brown, Victor Rasuk, Terry Quay, Matthew Scott Wilcox, Connett M. Brewer, Timothy Olyphant, Josef Sommer, Linda Emond, Ciarán Hinds, Mamie Gummer, Alex Frost, Laurie Metcalf
Written by: Kimberly Peirce, Mark Richard
Directed by: Kimberly Peirce
MPAA Rating: R for graphic violence and pervasive language
Running Time: 113 minutes
Date: March 28, 2008