Working on "The List"

This past weekend, I got a chance to see a movie that's been "on my list" for a while -- that long, long list of films I do want to get around to seeing someday. That was Courage Under Fire, a military "mystery" of sorts, surrounding whether or not a deceased soldier played by Meg Ryan should be awarded a posthumous Medal of Honor for bravery in combat.

The movie has a deep "bench" of actors, led by Denzel Washington, and including Lou Diamond Phillips, Matt Damon, Scott Glenn, and others. Everyone does well with their roles. I was actually struck by the physicality of a lot of the performances. Meg Ryan is completely credible as a soldier, despite being more often seen in softer roles. Matt Damon, as a drug addicted medic, actually appears gaunt and pale in the film (a credit to the makeup department?). So on down the line.

As Denzel Washington's investigator character interviews the various players in the story, he gets conflicting stories of events, building a mystery about what actually happened. But I must say I didn't find the mystery particularly compelling. Partly, I think this was that the answer to it all felt rather predictable to me.

But more, I wonder if it's that this method of storytelling is not as novel now as it was a decade ago when the movie was made. Not that it was all that new then; it was ultimately a version of the famous Rashomon storytelling style. But so many subsequent movies and television shows (from Lost to... hell, How I Met Your Mother) have used twisted, out-of-order, and conflicting narratives that it all feels pretty familiar. I wonder if, in its time, the movie built a greater reputation for being a "war movie with an interesting storytelling style," but now exists in a time where the power of that distinguishing characteristic has been diminished.

Fortunately, though, the movie was more than just the mystery. It had some good emotional content as well, much revolving around the guilt of actions taken during war time, and the troubles of reassimilation. These are, fortunately, not areas I have any personal experience with, but the portrayal and writing of the material was of a high enough grade to generate empathy.

Speaking of grades, I give this movie a B. It won't be going on any favorites list of mine, but it was well worth the time. If all the movies on my "I Want to Get Around to That" list could be at least as good as this one, going through that list would be a pleasant experience indeed.