“Stop-Loss”

Rated: R

Starring: Ryan Phillipe, Channing Tatum, Abbie Cornish, Joseph Gordon-Levitt

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Directed by Kimberly Peirce

Run time: 113 min.

4.5 stars out of 5

With “Stop-Loss,” director Kimberly Peirce has done something directors like Paul Haggis and Robert Redford have failed to do. She has made a movie about Iraq that has a soul.

“Stop-Loss,” her first film since 1999’s “Boys Don’t Cry,” is a film about the soldiers and their families, and the troubles they endure as the war continues seemingly without end. Thus far, it is the strongest film of 2008.

The film’s title refers to a clause that is buried in the fine print of the contract men and women sign when they enlist in the Army. Essentially, it works as a sort of back door draft, extending a soldier’s contract in order to keep the troop levels up if needed.

This is what happens to Brandon King (Ryan Phillipe), who upon returning home to Texas from his final tour of duty is forced to reenlist. His friends Steve (Channing Tatum) and Tommy (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) grapple with their own demons as Brandon sets off on a cross-country road trip with Michelle (Abbie Cornish) in order to plead with a senator to get him off the stop-loss list.

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Peirce, along with co-writer Mark Richard, creates a film that is more evocative of mood and character as opposed to strict plot. The film makes statement that most war movies make in regards to the desensitization of the troops and the overall wrongness of the war. But Peirce is more concerned with these specific soldiers and their plight, and by narrowing her focus she has created characters that have emotional resonance.

As Tommy falls prey to booze and Steve is tempted to return to the Army as a sniper, we see that these are ordinary people forced to grapple with extraordinary circumstances far beyond their control.

The film’s crucial scene occurs at the midpoint, where Brandon encounters a family on the run from the clause. It is here that he realizes that there are only two paths that he could take: returning to Iraq or fleeing the country.

The film manages to remain open-ended until the very last shot, and the way the story resolves itself is profoundly sad. The war is going to continue indefinitely no matter what Brandon does, and Peirce manages to convey this with great sorrow and respect for her fellow men.

It helps that Peirce is working with a team of talented actors. Phillipe and Gordon-Levitt have already shown in other films that they can do good work, and they continue that streak here.

Tatum, on the other hand, has gone from playing second banana to Amanda Bynes to giving a powerful performance here. His scene with Phillipe in the graveyard is the perfect climax. And Cornish bucks the trend of useless women in war movies, playing a woman who will not compromise her principles and will do anything to help her friends.

The film isn’t perfect. It meanders a bit in the middle, and it would be nice to get a bit more character development in Steve and Tommy. But in a way, the meandering pace and tidbits of character information work to the film’s advantage. Any more information or more specific plot outlines would have undermined the film’s message and given a far more rigid ending. The writers clearly knew what they were doing.

“Stop-Loss” is sad, moving and overall brilliant. Peirce has made an excellent follow up to her first film and made the first excellent movie about Iraq. Hopefully we don’t have to wait nine years for her next film.

Wes Lawson can be reached at 536-3311 ext. 275 or [email protected].