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Courage Under Fire

  • 1996
  • R
  • 1h 56m
IMDb RATING
6.6/10
62K
YOUR RATING
Meg Ryan and Denzel Washington in Courage Under Fire (1996)
Theatrical Trailer from Unknown
Play trailer2:21
1 Video
65 Photos
Conspiracy ThrillerActionDramaMysteryThrillerWar

A U.S. Army officer, despondent about a deadly mistake he made, investigates a female chopper commander's worthiness for the Medal of Honor.A U.S. Army officer, despondent about a deadly mistake he made, investigates a female chopper commander's worthiness for the Medal of Honor.A U.S. Army officer, despondent about a deadly mistake he made, investigates a female chopper commander's worthiness for the Medal of Honor.

  • Director
    • Edward Zwick
  • Writer
    • Patrick Sheane Duncan
  • Stars
    • Denzel Washington
    • Meg Ryan
    • Lou Diamond Phillips
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    6.6/10
    62K
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Edward Zwick
    • Writer
      • Patrick Sheane Duncan
    • Stars
      • Denzel Washington
      • Meg Ryan
      • Lou Diamond Phillips
    • 132User reviews
    • 67Critic reviews
    • 77Metascore
  • See production info at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 9 wins & 7 nominations total

    Videos1

    Courage Under Fire
    Trailer 2:21
    Courage Under Fire

    Photos65

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    Top cast60

    Edit
    Denzel Washington
    Denzel Washington
    • Nat Serling
    Meg Ryan
    Meg Ryan
    • Karen Walden
    Lou Diamond Phillips
    Lou Diamond Phillips
    • Monfriez
    Michael Moriarty
    Michael Moriarty
    • General Hershberg
    Matt Damon
    Matt Damon
    • Ilario
    Bronson Pinchot
    Bronson Pinchot
    • Bruno
    Seth Gilliam
    Seth Gilliam
    • Altameyer
    Regina Taylor
    Regina Taylor
    • Meredith Serling
    Zeljko Ivanek
    Zeljko Ivanek
    • Banacek
    Scott Glenn
    Scott Glenn
    • Gartner
    Tim Guinee
    Tim Guinee
    • Rady
    Tim Ransom
    Tim Ransom
    • Boylar
    Sean Astin
    Sean Astin
    • Patella
    Armand Darrius
    • Robins
    Mark Adair-Rios
    Mark Adair-Rios
    • Bobcat 5
    • (as Mark Adair-Riós)
    Ned Vaughn
    Ned Vaughn
    • Chelli
    Manny Perez
    Manny Perez
    • Jenkins
    David McSwain
    • Egan
    • Director
      • Edward Zwick
    • Writer
      • Patrick Sheane Duncan
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    User reviews132

    6.661.7K
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    Featured reviews

    8mjw2305

    A great Movie, Overlooked by too many

    This movie has 2 stories that that run side by side, depicting the same image of war from different perspectives.

    Denzel's story is one of sadness and guilt over the death of a friend during the Gulf war, a friend that he himself killed in a 'Friendly Fire' incident, during the confusion of battle. His country won't let him speak, and they shower him with medals; this only adds to the pain that begins to tear him apart.

    Denzel's Character is given an assignment to determine whether a female helicopter pilot (Meg Ryan) deserves the medal of honour.

    Meg's story, played out in flashbacks, is about a helicopter pilot and her crew saving a handful of soldiers, from the Iraqi onslaught. She is the first female to be considered for the medal of honour, and the question is, does she deserve what the American people would so love too see her receive.

    Denzel, determined to get this one right, collects evidence and testimony from Ryans crew and the men that were saved. The problem is, Denzel's superiors want this medal awarded, but the simple truth is difficult to unveil. Every shred of evidence leads to more and more uncertainty as to whether this medal should be awarded.

    Truly compelling direction and very special character portrayal make this an extremely enjoyable, very dramatic movie.

    If you've over looked it, then give it a try. I think you'll be glad you did.

    8/10
    8varundelpiero

    Profound, intelligent, and moving; one of Zwick's best...

    Edward Zwick's second war-based movie (following the successful GLORY) is almost as good as his first, and every bit as watchable. I have particularly liked stories that use different viewpoints to tell the same story (hence creating different versions of the same story). These types of movies stemmed no doubt from Akira Kurosawa's epic RASHOMON, and while films that use this strategy rarely live up to Kurosawa's original in terms of intelligence and portrayal (the most recent being the slightly-better-than-mediocre VANTAGE POINT), COURAGE UNDER FIRE is still a rewarding Motion Picture.

    Denzel Washington is near his brilliant best as the troubled Lieutenant Colonel on the verge of alcoholism due in part to his overwhelming feelings of guilt following a military procedure gone wrong. His depression and curiosity fuel his determination to get to the bottom of the 'mystery' even if it puts him out of favour with his Commanding Officers. Meg Ryan is equally superb, and as each re-telling of the story demands her to take on a different personality (similar to the female lead in RASHOMON), she manages to pull each one off effectively. Matt Damon puts in a reliable shift, even losing upward of 20 pounds to take on the role. For me, the biggest surprise is Lou Diamond Phillips who is actually quite watchable, and does not overact, as is his tendency.

    Zwick's COURAGE UNDER FIRE is an examination of war from a less visceral point of view, and will stay with the viewer long after watching the movie. It deeply delves into themes of responsibility, guilt, and truth in an overall compelling Motion Picture. The script is effective and the buildup to the somewhat sentimental ending is quite commendable.

    8/10. 3.5 stars (out of 4). Highly recommended. Should enter my Top 200 at around #183.
    degracia

    Denzel Washington At His Best

    "Courage Under Fire" is perhaps the best illustration of how flexible and adaptive actors like Denzel Washington are. What makes "Courage Under Fire" impressive is not so much its plot or storyline (which is somewhat inconsistent), but its portrayal of a lone officer torn between personal conscience and duty. Denzel's overweight build and alcoholic demeanor create the highly credible image of a man barely attached to his life. Basically the story of a budding Army officer re-assigned to administrative duties following a Desert Storm friendly fire incident, "Courage Under Fire" submerges the viewer into pure emotional hell as it progresses. The stunning emotional catharisis portrayed at the film's end is incredibly dramatic and almost entirely unmatched. Anyone who has ever been under the extreme pressures of stress or suffered cognitive dissonance following a bad judgement will definitely connect with this film. A great psychological thriller and a tour-de-force drama. Definitely one of the best films...if only it would be released on DVD!!
    8philoso4

    A DESERT STORM-era update of "Rashomon"

    A DESERT STORM veteran, Lt Col Nat Serling (played by Denzel Washington), is assigned the task of recommending whether or not to award the first (posthumous) combat Medal of Honor to a woman, Capt Karen Walden (played by Meg Ryan). In investigating the inconsistent mission accounts of Walden's surviving crew, Serling constantly flashes back to his own searing DESERT STORM experience and the Army's subsequent attempts to whitewash the incident, resolving that his investigation will not suffer the same fate. As Serling tries to rectify the competing competing accounts it becomes clear that director Edward Zwick has crafted a contemporary "Rashomon," complete with reminders that the truth is always subjective and our accounts of it typically affected by self-interest.
    10sam93505

    This movie helps heals me

    I don't care about the petty "goofs" or parts of the story that other people point out- this movie means a lot to me as a disabled veteran with PTSD. This movie is about many things, but to me, the story is about how Col Sterling is trying to manage his survivor guilt and PTSD from his incident on one hand, and deal with his task to validate the medal for his General, his wife, his kids, etc. on the other. He resorts to booze (like we all do) to try to cope. That's what this movie is really about: how one guy is trying to come to grips with PTSD, which I can tell you first-hand is a challenge that I face every minute of everyday. And seeing this movie helps heal me. It reminds me that I too lost a promising career in the Navy, lost my marriage, lost my kids, and lost myself in the abyss of PTSD and alcoholism before I got help. That's the only negative I have on this movie- we don't see if Col Sterling got help. Otherwise, this movie has helped heal me in ways that no other movie I've ever seen has.

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      In order to lose the required amount of weight for the present-day scenes, Matt Damon went on a strict regimen of food deprivation and physical training. This caused his health to become so frail that he was put on medical supervision for several months after the shoot. However, his efforts didn't go unnoticed: director Francis Ford Coppola was so impressed by Damon's display of method acting that he offered him the leading role in The Rainmaker (1997). While making Good Will Hunting (1997), after regaining his healthy weight, Damon met Steven Spielberg (who was then casting Saving Private Ryan (1998)). Spielberg told Damon that he had loved his performance in this movie and had wanted to hire him to play Private Ryan, but was afraid that Damon was too skinny. Once Spielberg saw Damon at his normal weight, he hired him for Ryan.
    • Goofs
      The Medal of Honor is never placed around the neck of anyone but the recipient of the award.
    • Quotes

      Captain Karen Emma Walden: [to Monfriez, after she's been shot in the abdomen] I gave birth to a nine-pound baby, asshole. I think I can handle it.

    • Connections
      Featured in Siskel & Ebert: Independence Day/Special Effects/Phenomenon (1996)
    • Soundtracks
      Angel from Montgomery
      Written by John Prine

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    FAQ21

    • How long is Courage Under Fire?Powered by Alexa
    • Why does the term "A Medal for Honour" with the British spelling of "Honour" appear next to Meg Ryan's face?

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • July 12, 1996 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Languages
      • English
      • Arabic
    • Also known as
      • Valor bajo fuego
    • Filming locations
      • National Training Center, Fort Irwin, California, USA
    • Production companies
      • Fox 2000 Pictures
      • Davis Entertainment
      • Joseph M. Singer Entertainment
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • $46,000,000 (estimated)
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $59,031,057
    • Opening weekend US & Canada
      • $12,501,586
      • Jul 14, 1996
    • Gross worldwide
      • $100,860,818
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Tech specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 56 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Dolby Digital
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.85 : 1

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