Courage to truth (film)
| Movie | |
|---|---|
| German title | Courage for the truth |
| Original title | Courage Under Fire |
| Country of production | United States |
| original language | English |
| Publishing year | 1996 |
| length | 112 minutes |
| Age rating | FSK 12 |
| Rod | |
| Director | Edward Zwick |
| script | Patrick Sheane Duncan |
| production |
John Davis J. M. Singer David T. Friendly |
| music | James Horner |
| camera | Roger Deakins |
| cut | Steven Rosenblum |
| occupation | |
| |
Courage to Truth is an American film by Edward Zwick from 1996. A US officer suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder is supposed to explain the background to an assignment in the Second Gulf War for which the commanding officer is to be awarded the medal of bravery posthumously .
action
Lt. Colonel Nathan (Nat) Serling is tasked with writing a report on a mission by Captain Karen Walden. Walden had fallen in command of a MedEvac helicopter during the Second Gulf War and was killed in a rescue operation for the crew of a downed Black Hawk transport helicopter . For her courage, she is said to be the first woman posthumously to be awarded the Medal of Honor , the highest honor in the US military.
Serling has suffered trauma since the Gulf War. He had commanded a tank battalion and destroyed in an unclear position battle by friendly fire the tank of his comrade and friend Boylar. Serling is haunted by this event, he has to struggle with nightmares and is threatened with alcohol. The incident is covered up by the military and Serling gets an office job at the Pentagon .
During his research, Serling noticed inconsistencies in the statements of the Huey crew. When he pressures a soldier, he commits suicide . When he confronts Ilario, the paramedic of the helicopter, with the death of Monfriez, the latter confesses the truth. Monfriez mutinied against Walden and seriously injured her from a shot in the stomach. While a rescue team was advancing, the commander defended the position against the attacking Iraqis to the very end, thus enabling her men to be rescued. In the rescue helicopter, Monfriez claimed that the commander was dead, whereupon the pilot approved the use for the bombing by Thunderbolt ground attack aircraft. It remains to be seen whether she was ultimately killed by the napalm attack or by the Iraqis beforehand. After handing over the report, Serling visits the parents of his friend Boylar. With tears he tells them the truth about the incident at the time, that their son did not die - as shown in the funeral oration - by someone else's, but by his own fire. Walden is posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor. The President of the United States gives them to their young daughter in the Rose Garden of the White House . Serling is absent from the award ceremony. At the commandant's grave, he takes the Silver Star from his medal clasp and places it on her gravestone.
Reviews
"The routinely staged film loses its thematically interesting approach, which is reminiscent of Akira Kurosawa's ' Rashomon - Das Lustwäldchen ', and only offers a one-dimensional story about courage, morality and duty."
"As ambitious as it is powerless: a Gulf War drama that doesn't want to hurt anyone."
Awards
The film won u. a. a Blockbuster Entertainment Award for Lou Diamond Phillips.
The German Film and Media Evaluation FBW in Wiesbaden awarded the film the title valuable.
Web links
- Courage Under Fire in the Internet Movie Database (English)
- Courage Under Fire at Rotten Tomatoes (English)