Many war dramas can be a real shock and even a traumatic event for an unprepared audience, but often it is these films that become classics of the genre and receive the highest marks from critics. One such film is the work of Brian De Palma, which has long been considered one of the director's best films, and this is confirmed not only by rave reviews, but also by praise from Quentin Tarantino himself.
The latter, by the way, went even further than many of his colleagues and film critics, calling De Palma's war drama the best film about the events associated with the Vietnam War.
Quentin Tarantino is absolutely delighted with Brian De Palma's Casualties of War
Although the director himself admitted that he is a fan of many other cult war films, for example, Francis Ford Coppola 's Apocalypse Now , nothing has yet been able to surpass Casualties of War. The film is based on a non-fiction book by Daniel Lang, who in 1969 published an article that shocked millions of people, both the film and the original text tell the true story of American soldiers who, during the Vietnam War, kidnapped a young girl and held her hostage for the purpose of rape.
The main character, Private First Class Max Erickson, is against such violence, he will later even risk his own life to save the girl. In addition to the film itself, Tarantino also praised De Palma's directing work, and admitted that he was delighted with the acting of Sean Penn and Michael J. Fox .
Casualties of War failed at the box office, but became one of the best works in the careers of De Palma and the leading actors
Although the film did not bring any profit, earning only $ 18 million with a budget of $ 22 million, Casualties of War still received praise from critics and was subsequently nominated for a Golden Globe for Best Soundtrack (the film, however, did not take the award). Not only Tarantino, but also Steven Spielberg spoke positively about the film, who after the premiere admitted that he would not stop thinking about the film for at least another week.
More than 35 years after its theatrical release, Casualties of War maintains impressive scores on Rotten Tomatoes, with 82% and 75% positive reviews from critics and audiences, respectively.
