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MTV Films
Paramount Pictures
Scott Rudin Productions
Not part of a collection.
The bravest place to stand is by each other's side.
A veteran soldier returns from his completed tour of duty in Iraq, only to find his life turned upside down when he is arbitrarily ordered to return to field duty by the Army.
John Chard
Mar 7, 2015 · via TMDB
Extended Enlistment. Kimberley Peirce’s (Boys Don’t Cry) movie proved to be controversial in military circles. The story is about the stop-loss procedure used by the American military, a kind of small print tactic that can extend a soldiers service should their country deem it so. Sergeant Brandon King (Ryan Phillippe) returns home from the Gulf Wars with his mentally scarred pals fully expecting to get back to a domestic life without blood and brains dominating his personal landscape. Yet he is called back in for another tour of Iraq under the stop-loss procedure, something he rebels against and goes AWOL. He has done two tours already, surely he has earned his retirement? It starts off in electrified fashion, the horrors of the war in Iraq bursting from the screen as a firefight ensues, character traits are introduced to us, we are left in no doubt that the soldiers at the end of this tour of duty have seen it all. Pic then settles into a sort of cross between a road movie and a PTSD portrait awash with emotional strangulation. Peirce and her co-writer Mark Richard have honourable intentions, but too much is given over to stereotyping, of stock clichés and the bold signposting of character’s futures. They carefully paint King as a model soldier, this is definitely not about cowardice, but come the cop-out finale it’s evident that the narrative suffers glaring inconsistencies and confused messaging. On the bonus side is the performances of the youthful cast, where some fluctuating accents aside, Phillippe, Channing Tatum and Abbie Cornish are superb, while Joseph Gordon-Levitt makes a weakly written part crackle with pained emotion. Of the elders, most are underwritten, which is a shame when you got the likes of Ciaran Hinds in the cast. We are left as a whole with a film that is as uneven as a dusty road in Tikrit, not only in narrative structure, but also in actual facts as regards the procedures of the American military, both on the written documents and execution of duty in battle. It was a flop at the American box-office and it’s not hard to see why, but it still has merits. Even as the familiarity tries to breed contempt, the anguished reality of a soldiers life, during tours and post service time, strikes a mightily distressing chord. 6.5/10
User reviews courtesy of TMDB.
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Ryan Phillippe
Brandon King
Abbie Cornish
Michelle
Joseph Gordon-Levitt
Tommy Burgess
Channing Tatum
Steve Shriver
Josef Sommer
Senator Orton Worrell
Timothy Olyphant
Lieutenant Colonel Boot Miller
Ciarán Hinds
Roy King
Linda Emond
Ida King
Steven Strait
Michael Colson
Alex Frost
Shorty
Rob Brown
Isaac 'Eyeball' Butler
Victor Rasuk
Rico Rodriguez
Mamie Gummer
Jeanie
Lee Stringer
Dennis
J.D. Evermore
Rainey
Cory Hart
Cowboy
Roger Edwards
Clerk
Richard Dillard
Sheriff Boudreaux
James D. Dever
Captain Dever
Mark Richard
Pastor Colson
Laurie Metcalf
Mrs. Colson
Tory Kittles
Josh
Margo Martindale
Senator's Secretary (voice)
Peter Gerety
Carlson
Robert Farrior
Captain Greg MacDonald
Ken Edwards
Platoon Leader (uncredited)
Elizabeth Ingalls
Sweetheart (uncredited)
Estella Perez
Capitol Business Woman (uncredited)
Carlos Pina
Dance Hall Dancer (uncredited)
Christian Stokes
Tweaker (uncredited)
Gary Teague
U.S. Senator (uncredited)
LaToya Ward
Cowgirl (uncredited)
Ric Maddox
Lieutenant One
David Wasco
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Sandy Reynolds-Wasco
Set Decoration
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Director of Photography
Marlene Stewart
Costume Design
Doug Coleman
Stunt Coordinator
Jeff Dashnaw
Stunt Coordinator
Samantha MacIvor
Stunt Double
Troy Robinson
Stunts
Kimberly Peirce
Director
Doug Coleman
Second Unit Director
Claire Simpson
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Avy Kaufman
Casting
Gregory Goodman
Producer
Kimberly Peirce
Producer
Scott Rudin
Producer
John Powell
Original Music Composer
Kimberly Peirce
Writer
Mark Richard
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The Stranglers - Live '78, SF
1978
Saddle Leather Law
1944
Sign in to vote
Battle your watched movies head-to-head
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Evil Dead II
1987 · 14 wins
The Dark Knight
2008 · 14 wins
Halloween
1978 · 13 wins
Final Destination
2000 · 12 wins
Halloween II
1981 · 11 wins
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