Courage Under Fire (Blu-ray)

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"Courage Under Fire" was the first Hollywood movie made about the first Gulf War, but it received much more attention because its subject was a woman in combat. Director Edward Zwick says in the commentary that the film was inspired by Akira Kurosawa's "Rashomon," which involved four defendents in a rape-murder case who offered wildly differing accounts of what happened. If you haven't seen this Japanese classic, then a model that's closer to home would be "The Accused."

Like that Jodie Foster film about a rape victim, "Courage Under Fire" centers on the person in charge of the investigation and the various witnesses that are asked to tell their side of the story. In both films, the true picture doesn't come into focus until the very end. The issue here isn't a rape or murder, but rather an investigation to determine if Capt. Karen Walden (Meg Ryan) is worthy of receiving the Medal of Honor for which she's been nominated. Walden was a helicopter pilot who, like the real heroes of "Black Hawk Down," was credited for saving the lives of another downed chopper crew. What's interesting about "Courage Under Fire" is that the investigator isn't exactly pure and wholesome. Lt. Col. Nate Serling (Denzel Washington) is an alcoholic with family issues and bigger problems related to his own Gulf War service. The opening sequence shows him leading a tank battalion into action and subsequently ordering an attack on a vehicle he thinks is Iraqi, but which turns out to have been one of his own. "You just lit up a friendly," comes the voice over his radio.

That voice haunts him, and it underscores the investigation when Serling is asked to personally handle the case. "Doug Bruno, White House. Just do everything my way and we'll get along fine," he's told by George H.W. Bush's emissary. "I know about the drinking," says General Hershberg (Michael Moriarty), who along with the White House wants this medal rubber stamped and isn't afraid to imply blackmail to ensure cooperation. Despite his own Gulf War guilt--or perhaps because of it--Serling is determined to get at the truth. And of course, learning the truth leads him to his own redemption. It's mostly offstage, but even as Serling pokes and prods, a Washington Post reported named Gartner (Scott Glenn) is trying to get at what happened in the tank incident, for which Serling was apparently awarded a medal. That adds an interesting parallel and tension to the story.

As in "Roshomon" and "The Accused," good guys and bad buys emerge during the investigation. Matt Damon lost a ton of weight to play Specialist Ilario, the medic who offers testimony in support of Capt. Walden. But others are more tepid or secretive about their responses, and Staff Sergeant John Monfriecz (Lou Diamond Phillips) insists that Walden was a coward, plain and simple. Who\'s right? That\'s for Serling to find out, and for the rest of us to guess at along the way.

The screenplay by Patrick Sheane Duncan negotiates the narrow gap between melodrama and mystery fairly well, and director Zwick has an impeccable sense of pacing. The script contains believable dialogue and the performances are praiseworthy. But brace yourself for a different Meg Ryan if you haven't seen this one before. I'm not sure if I bought the macho Texas female routine, but Ryan certainly gives it her all. She appears in every account of what happened on that hillside in Iraq. Otherwise, it's the Denzel Washington show, and Washington is really the driving force behind the film. Like "The Accused," it's a solid investigative drama that also has something to say about the issues involved.