Courage Under Fire (1996)

Director:

Edward Zwick

Writer (WGA):

Patrick Sheane Duncan (written by)

Release Date:

12 July 1996 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Drama | War | Mystery

Tagline:

In wartime, the first casualty is always truth.

Plot:

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

Plot Keywords:

Women | Family Member | Friendly Fire | Military Life | Miscarriage Of Justice

Awards:

9 wins & 2 nominations

US TV Schedule:

Mon. July 28

4:45 AM

MAX

Cast

Denzel Washington	...	Lt. Colonel Nathaniel Serling
Meg Ryan	...	Captain Karen Emma Walden
Lou Diamond Phillips	...	Staff Sergeant John Monfriez
Michael Moriarty	...	Brigadier General Hershberg
Matt Damon	...	Specialist Ilario
Bronson Pinchot	...	Bruno
Seth Gilliam	...	Altameyer
Regina Taylor	...	Meredith Serling
Zeljko Ivanek	...	Ben Banacek
Scott Glenn	...	Tony Gartner, Washington Post
Tim Guinee	...	Rady
Tim Ransom	...	Boylar
Sean Astin	...	Patella
Armand Darrius	...	Robins
Ned Vaughn	...	Lieutenant Chelli

MPAA:

Rated R for war violence and language.

Runtime:

117 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital

Certification:

New Zealand:M | Philippines:PG-13 | USA:R (certificate #34505) | Iceland:14 (original rating) | South Korea:15 | Iceland:16 (video rating) | Argentina:13 | Australia:M | Chile:14 | Finland:K-12 | Germany:12 (w) | Norway:15 | Portugal:M/12 | Spain:18 | Sweden:15 | UK:15 | Singapore:PG

Filming Locations:

Austin, Texas, USA

Company:

Fox 2000 Pictures

Trivia:

The White House rose garden set was destroyed twice: once by a tornado, and once by a sandstorm.

Goofs:

Crew or equipment visible: Just after Monfriez's car is hit by the train, you can see some sort of carriage that the car is mounted on. The rear rims of the car also look like train wheels (that belong to the carriage the car is mounted on).

Quotes:

Nathaniel Serling: I work at the Pentagon, Sergeant, so I'll admit I'm a little slow on the uptake, otherwise I'd say that you just threatened me. Did you just threaten me, soldier? Because if you did, let me respond to you...
[turns off tape recorder]
Nathaniel Serling: Let me respond to you this way. I'm an officer, and therefore, by proclamation, a gentleman, but don't abuse that, son. Don't get in my crosshairs, because I'll have no compunction whatsoever about getting up to my neck in yo' ass. Do you understand me?

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Naked Movie (2002)

Soundtrack:

Angel from Montgomery

Great

Courage Under Fire is a movie that will stay with me for a while. Denzel Washington continues to be one of the finest actors today and proves it in this movie. The premise was interesting and was entertaining. I was disappointed with Meg Ryan's performance. I usually like her but she got annoying with her constant shouting. Yet that didn't keep the movie down. It was extremely dramatic and my two favorite scenes are the scene with Lou Diamond Phillips in the car and when it shows what really happened. A great film and terrific acting by Denzel Washington.