Courage Under Fire
In 1991, millions of people tuned in to CNN to observe a real life and death drama played out in the cities and deserts of Iraq. For the United States, the war was more or less a display of power and a preservation of economic interest. Nobody was to ever hear of the mishaps and foul-ups of the war. In many eyes the war was seen as a chance to boost American spirit and make the government look empowered. Director Edward Zwick and writer Patrick Shane Duncan snatched onto this notion and expounded on it in their movie . Through its superb acting, successful plot, structure, and filming perfection, the movie becomes a powerful and brilliant examination of the consequences of guilt and ...
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the military ethos and its effect on many individuals.
The movie begins as many war films have, on the battlefield. Lieutenant Colonel Nat Serling (Denzel Washington) finds himself in an impossible situation, under heavy attack at night in the middle of the Iraqi desert. He is being assaulted by the Iraqis and in an instant loses his long time friend to the horror of “friendly fire.” He has ordered his crew to fire on another American tank under his command. Back home, the government is eagerly searching for Gulf War heroes and as a result, Serling is decorated for his bravery; yet, deep inside, he really knows that it is all a sham. He is drowned in his medals and awards and handed a desk job in the Pentagon, all to keep him quiet. Serling becomes intensely burdened by his guilt. He has become an alcoholic, his marriage is falling apart, and the government, which is covering up the incident, has not offered a means to assuage his battered conscience.
Serling’s very first ...
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the movie, we learn of Walden’s heroism from numerous flashbacks of the same incident. Crewmembers including Monfriez (Lou Diamond Phillips) and Illario (Matt Damon), each give conflicting details in their reports. The flashbacks each depict Walden differently and we, as the viewers, are supposed to figure out who the real Captain Walden is.
The film turns into a fascinating mystery mixed with the action of war. Serling confronts his superior, General Hershberg (Michael Moriarty) and, in one stellar line in the movie, makes it clear that he wants to find the truth. “I think that in order to honor a soldier like Karen Walden, we have to tell the truth, General, about what happened ...
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Courage Under Fire. (2008, October 21). Retrieved December 22, 2024, from http://www.essayworld.com/essays/Courage-Under-Fire/91794
"Courage Under Fire." Essayworld.com. Essayworld.com, 21 Oct. 2008. Web. 22 Dec. 2024. <http://www.essayworld.com/essays/Courage-Under-Fire/91794>
"Courage Under Fire." Essayworld.com. October 21, 2008. Accessed December 22, 2024. http://www.essayworld.com/essays/Courage-Under-Fire/91794.
"Courage Under Fire." Essayworld.com. October 21, 2008. Accessed December 22, 2024. http://www.essayworld.com/essays/Courage-Under-Fire/91794.
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