Plot
A US Army officer, despondent about a deadly mistake he made, investigates a female chopper commander's worthiness for the Medal of Honor.
Release Year: 1996
Rating: 6.6/10 (23,151 voted)
Critic's Score: 77/100
Director:
Edward Zwick
Stars: Denzel Washington, Meg Ryan, Lou Diamond Phillips
Storyline The pilot of a rescue copter, Captain Karen Walden, died shortly before her helicopter crew was rescued after it crashed in Desert Storm. It first appears that she made a spectacular rescue of a downed helicopter crew, then held her own crew together to fight off the Iraqis after her copter crashed. Lt. Colonel Serling, who is struggling with his own demons from Desert Storm is assigned to investigate and award her the Medal of Honor. But some conflicting accounts, from her crew and soldiers in the area, cause him to question whether she deserves it.
Cast: Denzel Washington
-
Nat Serling
Meg Ryan
-
Karen Walden
Lou Diamond Phillips
-
Monfriez
Michael Moriarty
-
General Hershberg
Matt Damon
-
Ilario
Bronson Pinchot
-
Bruno
Seth Gilliam
-
Altameyer
Regina Taylor
-
Meredith Serling
Zeljko Ivanek
-
Banacek
Scott Glenn
-
Gartner
Tim Guinee
-
Rady
Tim Ransom
-
Boylar
Sean Astin
-
Patella
Armand Darrius
-
Robins
Mark Adair-Rios
-
Bobcat 5
(as Mark Adair-Riós)
Taglines:
A medal for honor. A search for justice. A battle for truth.
Release Date: 12 July 1996
Filming Locations: Austin, Texas, USA
Box Office Details
Budget: $46,000,000
(estimated)
Opening Weekend: $12,501,000
(USA)
(14 July 1996)
(1986 Screens)
Gross: $61,700,000
(USA)
Technical Specs
Runtime:
Did You Know?
Trivia:
The White House rose garden set was destroyed twice: once by a tornado, and once by a sandstorm.
Goofs:
Factual errors:
The M1A1 used by the 2nd ACR (Armored Cavalry Regiment) of which Col. Serling plays a part fires a 120mm combustible case round. Only the aft end cap comes out of the breech after firing, not the whole casing.
Quotes:
[holding a pistol to Serling's head]
Monfriez:
You ever kill anyone at close range with a small arms, sir?
[Serling shakes his head]
Monfriez:
Messy.
User Review
A great Movie, Overlooked by too many
Rating: 8/10
This movie has 2 stories that that run side by side, depicting the same
image of war from different perspectives.
Denzel's story is one of sadness and guilt over the death of a friend
during the Gulf war, a friend that he himself killed in a 'Friendly
Fire' incident, during the confusion of battle. His country won't let
him speak, and they shower him with medals; this only adds to the pain
that begins to tear him apart.
Denzel's Character is given an assignment to determine whether a female
helicopter pilot (Meg Ryan) deserves the medal of honour.
Meg's story, played out in flashbacks, is about a helicopter pilot and
her crew saving a handful of soldiers, from the Iraqi onslaught. She is
the first female to be considered for the medal of honour, and the
question is, does she deserve what the American people would so love
too see her receive.
Denzel, determined to get this one right, collects evidence and
testimony from Ryans crew and the men that were saved. The problem is,
Denzel's superiors want this medal awarded, but the simple truth is
difficult to unveil. Every shred of evidence leads to more and more
uncertainty as to whether this medal should be awarded.
Truly compelling direction and very special character portrayal make
this an extremely enjoyable, very dramatic movie.
If you've over looked it, then give it a try. I think you'll be glad
you did.
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