"Taking Chance" is a film of overwhelming emotional power, and consider: we weep for a man we never meet, whose face we never see, whose actions and attitudes are only learned secondhand through the memories of those that knew him well. PFC Chance Phelps remains distant to us, unknowable; he could be any of the thousands of names on the casualty rosters, who overwhelm us with their numbers but deserve to be honored one by one.
The film's power is even more impressive in that it earns such a deep reaction yet tells such a simple story. There is no melodrama, no action, no surprises, no conflict at all, except for the personal doubts of its main character. It is an unadulterated account of a quiet journey. Straightforward, unembellished.
I can't tell you how or if this movie will move you or what you will take away from it. All I can say, it is probably the best movie about the military I have ever seen. It is not pro or anti anything, military, the Iraq war, conservative or liberal etc....it is not about politics. It is about the men and women who serve, be it in combat, behind a desk or in a mortuary and about the citizens of this country.
1 comment:
I watched something on one of the news shows - 20 / 20 or something...and I think it was this young man who was being escorted "home"....I think it is the same one? There was a documentary and then this movie is based on it....or I could be wrong. Anyway there is a picture of his wife sleeping in the room with the coffin while the guard looks on....really touching in a deeply profound way. On a much much much much lighter note - I gave you an award!
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