Stop-Loss

R

Released Mar 28, 2008

1 hr. 53 min.

Drama

War

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List

64%

143 Reviews

Tomatometer

26%

250,000+ Ratings

Audience Score

His tour of duty in Iraq finally over, Staff Sgt. Brandon King (Ryan Phillippe) returns home to Brazos, Texas, ready to re-enter civilian life. Unexpectedly, the Army invokes a clause in Brandon's military contract, requiring him to return to active duty in Iraq. With the help of close friend Michele (Abbie Cornish), Brandon goes AWOL and struggles to find a way out of the dilemma.

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Critics Consensus

Stop-Loss is sincere and complex, and features strong performances, even if it tries to cover too much ground.

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Audience Member

Still one of my favorite movies of 2008 Paramount Pictures & MTV Films team with Kimberly Pierce of 'Boys Dont Cry' fame Pierce handles an extensive cast and touches upon a real issue when it comes to the war in Iraq Starring Ryan Phillipe, Channing Tatum, Abbie Cornish, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, and Timothy Olyphant An epidemic where soldiers are stop-lossed is a constant occurrence in the U.S. army It's the biggest concern even when we fight for freedom and our country they want more, it's almost never enough They send as many soldiers back on the front line as much as they bring them back home This serves as a backdraft with words in fine print extending soldier's tours longer than expected After serving their tour and barely escaping a few soldiers come back to America thinking their fighting days are over One soldier in particular from Texas Brandon is shocked to his core he's being stop-lossed so he decides to run and seek help from the U.S. senator to turn things around He has the help of Michelle, the girlfriend of his sergeant Steve who's tired of waiting to be proposed to Even if it means going against his commanding officer and so many of his fellow soldiers are either suffering from PTSD or having difficulty adjusting to being back Ryan Phillipe has become a much better actor at this point Pierce since she has a brother that served hits on several topics like the mistreatment of veterans, the aftermath, not belonging in society anymore and it hits hard The film still has a lot of great acting, powerful performances, and heavy emotions It's good for us to feel the anger and frustrations as these soldiers do seeing that in a way they are betrayed Is all the battling and loss worth fighting for even with no effort to show for it? An important watch to this day still thatll create many debates It's very sincere and complex and reminds all of us that the war at home can be just as complicated This is very moving as is important

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Sad, sad story of PTSD war drama...

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

02/03/23

Full Review

h a

105 minute movie thats worth watching if you fast forward through 60 minutes of boring crap. Not much story here. No life or death. No family in danger. No money on the table. Just some guy facing minimal jail time. But the action is good. And they spent enough money on production to sell it. So its OK.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

03/30/23

Full Review

john m

Decent film on a disturbing topic. Much the way "Billy' halftime..." reflects on a hero's welcome back home vs the reality of war, this film does the same for our crew of 4. Half the movie deals with soldiers returning home, but with what they lived through in Iraq they can never really return home, and many re-enlist as a way to find the one place they now fit in. The second half is about Ryan being forced to go back after 2 tours due to the stop-loss program (Not enough volunteers, so they can force people to do additional tours), and the movie follows him on a bit of a road trip trying to find fairness while he relives his own nightmares, while giving the audience some insight into all these situations. The director experienced this with her own brother in war, so she experienced her brother changing with every visit home, and realized the public knew little about what was going on with the soldiers and their mental health struggles, not about the stop-loss program. Given that insight, I would look at this movie as more of a docu-drama/edutainment more than a war pic like Hurt Locker or Black Hawk. Editing is a little rough. Channing trying to act is a little rougher. The subject is difficult. But definitely worth catching on cable, Even though the movie is from 2008, the horrors of war still linger with us today.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Complex film about Iraqi War vets needed a stronger actor than Ryan Phillippe in the lead role to work well.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

02/27/23

Full Review

Audience Member

A reflection for those from military families

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

02/24/23

Full Review

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Kimberly Peirce

Director

Ryan Phillippe

Sgt. Brandon King

Abbie Cornish

Michele

Channing Tatum

Steve Shriver

Joseph Gordon-Levitt

Tommy Burgess

Ciarán Hinds

Roy King

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Stop-Loss: Official Clip - King Visits Rico

2:12

Stop-Loss: Official Clip - That Box Inside Your Head

2:11

Stop-Loss: Official Clip - F*** The President

2:12

Stop-Loss: Official Clip - Soldier In the Pool

2:12

Stop-Loss: Official Clip - I'm Done With Killing

2:11

Stop-Loss: Official Clip - We Got Out Just In TIme

2:11

Stop-Loss: Official Clip - I Ain't Scared, I'm Pissed Off

2:12

Stop-Loss: Official Clip - Shriver's Dug In

2:08

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Stop-Loss: Trailer 1

2:25

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Alonso Duralde

MSNBC

But whatever you think about the Iraq war and the people who are fighting in it, you'll be shaken up and moved by Stop-Loss.

Rated: 4/5

May 1, 2008

Full Review

Laura Bushell

BBC.com

Stop Loss takes some time out from the argument over the validity of the war to ask a question closer to home - whether the emotional battlefield America subjects its young soldiers to is actually worth it.

Rated: 3/5

Apr 25, 2008

Full Review

Jessica Winter

Time Out

It's the film equivalent of a weary shrug - capturing the national mood at a moment when we'd all prefer some mood enhancers.

Rated: 3/6

Apr 25, 2008

Full Review

Joanne Laurier

World Socialist Web Site

It is a generally worthy effort, whose real strengths deserve recognition. Its limitations too, however, which express ongoing problems, merit thinking about.

Mar 5, 2021

Full Review

Richard Propes

TheIndependentCritic.com

A reminder of the tremendous and heartbreaking humanity behind the war in Iraq.

Rated: 2.5/4.0

Sep 24, 2020

Full Review

Kaleem Aftab

The List

Peirce's accomplished filmmaking and fine performances overcome the predictability of a narrative asserting that occasionally the war at home can be as tough as the battlefield.

Rated: 4/5

Nov 4, 2018

Full Review

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Synopsis

His tour of duty in Iraq finally over, Staff Sgt. Brandon King (Ryan Phillippe) returns home to Brazos, Texas, ready to re-enter civilian life. Unexpectedly, the Army invokes a clause in Brandon's military contract, requiring him to return to active duty in Iraq. With the help of close friend Michele (Abbie Cornish), Brandon goes AWOL and struggles to find a way out of the dilemma.

Director: Kimberly Peirce
Screenwriter: Mark Richard, Kimberly Peirce
Distributor: Paramount Pictures
Production Co: Scott Rudin Productions, MTV Films, Paramount Pictures
Rating: R (Pervasive Language|Graphic Violence)
Genre: Drama, War
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Mar 28, 2008, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Jun 15, 2011
Box Office (Gross USA): $10.9M
Sound Mix: Dolby SRD, DTS, SDDS
Aspect Ratio: Flat (1.85:1)

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