Courage Under Fire

UPC: 024543414278

Studio: 20th Century Fox

MPAA Rating: R   Contains:[Violence, Adult Situations, Profanity, War Violence]

Summary: A soldier discovers how elusive the truth can be in this first major film about America's role in the Gulf War. Lt. Col. Nathaniel Serling (Denzel Washington) was the commander of a unit during Operation Desert Storm who mistakenly ordered the destruction of what he believed to be an enemy tank, only to discover that it actually held U.S. soldiers, including a close friend. Since then, Serling has been an emotional wreck, drinking heavily and allowing his marriage to teeter on the brink of collapse. As a means of redeeming himself, Serling is given a new assignment by his superior, Gen. Hershberg (Michael Moriarty). Capt. Karen Walden (Meg Ryan) was a helicopter pilot who died in battle during the Iraqi conflict, and the White House has proposed that Walden be posthumously awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor. Serling is asked to investigate Walden's actions on the field of battle, but he quickly discovers that no two stories about her are quite the same; Ilario (Matt Damon) says Walden acted heroically and sacrificed herself to save the others in her company, while Monfriez (Lou Diamond Phillps) claims she was a coward who was attempting to surrender to enemy troops. Meanwhile, reporter Tony Gartner (Scott Glenn) is hounding Serling, trying to get the inside story on Walden and on Serling's own difficulties. Matt Damon lost 40 pounds to prepare for his role in Courage Under Fire, which resulted in a potentially life-threatening illness for the young actor. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Category: War

Features: Commentary by director Edward Zwick
Trivia track
Enhanced for D-box motion control systems
Theatrical trailer in definition

Courage Under Fire

Format: Blu-ray

Release Date: 01/23/2007

Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 Theatre Wide-Screen

Audio: DD5.1 Dolby Digital 5.1

Runtime: 116 Minutes

Sides: 1

Number of Discs: 1

Language(s) English,Spanish,French

Subtitles: English,Spanish

Region: Blu-ray region A (North America, Central America, South America, Japan, Taiwan, North Korea, South Korea, Hong Kong, Southeast Asia)

Robert Firsching

Meg Ryan pulls off a very difficult role in this Gulf War-set inquiry into the nature of truth. As a nominee for the first posthumous medal of honor to be granted to a woman, Ryan's character is seen in various flashbacks, Rashomon-style, as entirely different people. Denzel Washington is the troubled veteran handling the investigation into whether Ryan's actions deserved the medal, and he talks to several people, each of whom tells a different story about her final actions. Both Ryan and Washington are terrific, ably supported by Michael Moriarty, Scott Glenn, and Matt Damon, among others, and the result is an engrossing and challenging film. The best part is Edward Zwick's deft direction, which keeps all of the differing perspectives open as viable options. Too many times in this sort of film, certain versions of events are presented which couldn't possibly be true. Here, one person could be telling the truth, or everyone could. ~ Robert Firsching, Rovi

Cast and Crew: Bob Apisa  Actor 
Zeljko Ivanek  Actor 
Tom Schanley  Actor 
David McSwain  Actor 
Ashlee Jordan Pryor  Actor 
Albert Hall  Actor 
John Roarke  Actor 
Kathleen Widdoes  Actor 
Michael Dolan  Actor 
James Paul Morse  Actor 
Diane Baker  Actor 
Ned Vaughn  Actor 
Seth Gilliam  Actor 
Julius Carter  Actor 
Christina Stojanovich  Actor 
Scott Glenn  Actor 
Lucky Luciano  Actor 
Jamal A. Mays  Actor 
Jack Watkins  Actor 
Mark Adair-Rios  Actor 
Amy Hathaway  Actor 
Ken Jenkins  Actor 
Reed Frerichs  Actor 
Erica C. Newman  Actor 
Sean Astin  Actor 
Bruce McGill  Actor 
Regina Taylor  Actor 
Manny Perez  Actor 
Rory J. Aylward  Actor 
Matt Sigloch  Actor 
Jimmy Pickens  Actor 
Richard Venture  Actor 
Daniel Gonzalez  Actor 
Armand Darrius  Actor 
Jeffrey Waid  Actor 
Tim Guinee  Actor 
Tim Ransom  Actor 
Michole Briana White  Actor 
Sean Patrick Thomas  Actor 
Kyle Mickaelian  Actor 
Pat Young  Actor 
John Davis  Producer 
Patrick Sheane Duncan  Screenwriter 
David T. Friendly  Producer 
James Horner  Composer (Music Score) 
Edward Zwick  Director 
Debra Martin Chase  Executive Producer 
Joseph M. Singer  Producer 
Denzel Washington  Actor 
Meg Ryan  Actor 
Lou Diamond Phillips  Actor 
Michael Moriarty  Actor 
Matt Damon  Actor 
Bronson Pinchot  Actor 

Country: USA