Stop-Loss (15)

Apr 25 2008 By Graham Young

BEST friends Brandon King (Ryan Phillippe) and Steve Shriver (Channing Tatum) return from a tour of duty in Iraq.

Haunted by an ambush near Tikrit that almost resulted in the slaughter of their entire platoon, Steve decides to re-enlist while Brandon wants to begin his own life again.

As with Rendition, Stop-Loss will introduce a new term to many English people, whereby the US government insists that Brandon should be 'stop-lossed' back into combat even if it's against his will.

Suitably enraged, the decorated war hero takes off from the base without permission and accompanied by girlfriend Michele (Abbie Cornish / Elizabeth: The Golden Age).

Stop-Loss is a 112-minute drama about family, country and freedom and, as such, has more heart than other recent war stories from The Kingdom to Lions for Lambs.

Provocatively-relevant to all of us, it questions how a government can ask for more if you've already given your all.

Surprisingly, this is writer-director Kimberly Peirce's first movie since she made the 1999 film Boys Don't Cry - which featured Hilary Swank on Oscar-winning form as a transgendered teen called... Brandon.

Website: www.kimberlypeirce.com