Time to unveil another trio of online store titles, with today’s additions including Carl Reiner’s “Dead Men Don’t Wear Plaid,” Tom Savini’s “Night of the Living Dead,” and Brian De Palma’s “Casualties of War.”
“Casualties of War” is based on a book by Daniel Lang, who’d initially written an article about the so-called “Incident on Hill 192” for “The New Yorker” magazine. Director Brian De Palma had seen the article and wanted to turn it into a film as far back as 1969, but it wasn’t until the success of other Vietnam films like Oliver Stone’s “Platoon” and Stanley Kubrick’s “Full Metal Jacket,” as well as De Palma’s own success with “The Untouchables,” that the picture got the green light nearly 20 years later.
As with most great works of art, “Casualties of War” presents audiences with a nuanced portrait, depicting the genuine love and camaraderie forged between warriors while also clearly condemning some truly ghastly actions on their part, far from the usual way that characters are cast as either heroes or villains. Sean Penn’s Sgt. Meserve is a heroic leader, yes, but make no mistake — the man is a without question a villain. “Casualties of War” asserts that the two aren’t mutually exclusive.