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...once it makes its point, it tends to pile on, never making an entirely convincing drama nor an entirely convincing argument.
That the director also opens herself up to criticisms of liberal Hollywood bias is probably beside the point. "Stop-Loss" is so somber and serious, it compels us to want to believe in it; yet it also stacks the deck so thoroughly in its favor, it's hard to care much as it preaches against the war and against the military's unfair advantage over its charges.
Furthermore, with its multiple flashbacks and its main character's indecisive wanderings, the film tends to lose focus along the way, and it may well even lose the attention of its most faithful and understanding audience. Unlike "Boys Don't Cry," where a viewer could feel genuinely responsive and compassionate toward the main character, in "Stop-Loss" the viewer may simply see an exercise in antiwar propaganda, even though in its defense, the movie doesn't really end that way. In fact, by its conclusion, "Stop-Loss" takes on a sort of schizophrenic personality. Different viewers, different reactions, I suppose. The movie is well-intended but just misses the mark.
Video:
Because the filmmakers chose to include a good deal of simulated documentary footage--home movies of the war, if you will--the video quality varies. During the documentary parts, the picture looks intentionally blurred and the camera jerky. However, when the filmmakers mean for the 1.85:1 anamorphic image to look good, it usually does look good, with fairly natural colors and reasonably sharp object delineation. The only shortcomings I noticed were some occasional and unaccountable variations in flesh tones, with faces sometimes looking too yellowish.
Audio:
I can't say enough good things about the sound, the Dolby Digital 5.1 audio reproduction about as good as it gets without a full-fledged lossless track. There's a clear, precise midrange; a deep, taut bass; and an extended high end. The dynamic range and impact are impressive, and the surround sound is pinpoint accurate in directionality, placing noises superbly from, between, and among the five main speakers. Ironically, and a little unrealistically, perhaps, you'll find the best surround activity in the so-called home movies that the soldiers supposedly took in combat. As in "Cloverfield," it makes no sense that these semidocumentary portions of the movie would have such good, all-encompassing sound, but if you can suspend your disbelief for a few minutes, they certainly sound impressive.
Extras:
The bonus items on the disc are as serious-minded as the movie itself. Things start with an audio commentary by co-writer and director Kimberly Peirce and co-writer Mark Richard, both of whom seem to have tried their best to make the film look and feel authentic. Next, there are two featurettes: "The Making of Stop-Loss," about twenty minutes of behind-the-scenes comments on the filmmaking in which the director tells us she was striving for the soldier's point of view; and "A Day in Boot Camp," about ten minutes with the young cast learning the ways of real soldiering. Then, there are eleven deleted scenes in non-anamorphic widescreen, about eighteen minutes' worth, with an optional director's commentary.
Things finish up with seventeen scene selections but no chapter insert; a series of previews at start-up and within the main menu; and English, French, and Spanish spoken languages and subtitles.
Parting Thoughts:
There is no doubt that "Stop-Loss" has its heart in the right place. Even those of an ultraconservative bent should be able to relate to a soldier's dilemma of signing up for a designated term of duty only to find out when it's completed that he has to serve yet another year or more in the line of fire. The movie's problem is that once it makes its point, it tends to pile on, never making an entirely convincing drama nor an entirely convincing argument. In other words, try as it might, the movie never really pulls the viewer in, takes the viewer along, or makes the viewer a rooting participant. Instead, it keeps one outside at arm's length, its sometimes contradictory styles of semidocumentary, drama, and outright melodrama forcing one into the position of casual observer rather than fervent sympathizer. Call it a near miss.
Furthermore, with its multiple flashbacks and its main character's indecisive wanderings, the film tends to lose focus along the way, and it may well even lose the attention of its most faithful and understanding audience. Unlike "Boys Don't Cry," where a viewer could feel genuinely responsive and compassionate toward the main character, in "Stop-Loss" the viewer may simply see an exercise in antiwar propaganda, even though in its defense, the movie doesn't really end that way. In fact, by its conclusion, "Stop-Loss" takes on a sort of schizophrenic personality. Different viewers, different reactions, I suppose. The movie is well-intended but just misses the mark.
Video:
Because the filmmakers chose to include a good deal of simulated documentary footage--home movies of the war, if you will--the video quality varies. During the documentary parts, the picture looks intentionally blurred and the camera jerky. However, when the filmmakers mean for the 1.85:1 anamorphic image to look good, it usually does look good, with fairly natural colors and reasonably sharp object delineation. The only shortcomings I noticed were some occasional and unaccountable variations in flesh tones, with faces sometimes looking too yellowish.
Audio:
I can't say enough good things about the sound, the Dolby Digital 5.1 audio reproduction about as good as it gets without a full-fledged lossless track. There's a clear, precise midrange; a deep, taut bass; and an extended high end. The dynamic range and impact are impressive, and the surround sound is pinpoint accurate in directionality, placing noises superbly from, between, and among the five main speakers. Ironically, and a little unrealistically, perhaps, you'll find the best surround activity in the so-called home movies that the soldiers supposedly took in combat. As in "Cloverfield," it makes no sense that these semidocumentary portions of the movie would have such good, all-encompassing sound, but if you can suspend your disbelief for a few minutes, they certainly sound impressive.
Extras:
The bonus items on the disc are as serious-minded as the movie itself. Things start with an audio commentary by co-writer and director Kimberly Peirce and co-writer Mark Richard, both of whom seem to have tried their best to make the film look and feel authentic. Next, there are two featurettes: "The Making of Stop-Loss," about twenty minutes of behind-the-scenes comments on the filmmaking in which the director tells us she was striving for the soldier's point of view; and "A Day in Boot Camp," about ten minutes with the young cast learning the ways of real soldiering. Then, there are eleven deleted scenes in non-anamorphic widescreen, about eighteen minutes' worth, with an optional director's commentary.
Things finish up with seventeen scene selections but no chapter insert; a series of previews at start-up and within the main menu; and English, French, and Spanish spoken languages and subtitles.
Parting Thoughts:
There is no doubt that "Stop-Loss" has its heart in the right place. Even those of an ultraconservative bent should be able to relate to a soldier's dilemma of signing up for a designated term of duty only to find out when it's completed that he has to serve yet another year or more in the line of fire. The movie's problem is that once it makes its point, it tends to pile on, never making an entirely convincing drama nor an entirely convincing argument. In other words, try as it might, the movie never really pulls the viewer in, takes the viewer along, or makes the viewer a rooting participant. Instead, it keeps one outside at arm's length, its sometimes contradictory styles of semidocumentary, drama, and outright melodrama forcing one into the position of casual observer rather than fervent sympathizer. Call it a near miss.
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[release]23893[/release]