May 25 2009
Taking Chance: A review
I wrote about this movie a few months ago1 and finally decided to order HBO and view it for myself.
The professional reviews are out there, but here is my take on it.
The movie is the true life account of US Marine Corps Lt Col Michael Strobl, who is escorting the remains of a young Marine, PFC Chance Phelps, who was killed in Iraq. He is a former combat veteran now fighting his desk instead of the enemy. His number crunching tasks are surely important and necessary, but he is also harboring guilt at his safe suburban life with his wife and children. He has also faced some questions as to his decisions due to his lack of recent combat experience.
With his desire to do more at war with his love of his family, he begins seeking an outlet for how he can contribute more. During an unusually grueling period of high casualties, he sees that one of them was from his home town, and volunteers to escort him home. His rank makes this a surprise, as a Lt Col is normally much higher than a lowly junior enlisted rates.
The movie has an extended section devoted to how the remains get from Germany to Dover AFB Delaware for disposition. The elaborate courtesy seems overdone, but is actually very accurate. The producers were allowed to see what few of us ever have, before this movie.
The movie then becomes a somber road trip of Strobl’s journey. From Dover to Minneapolis, to Billings and then to Wyoming, the movie shows Strobl’s encounters along the way. We see some people unaware of the grisly contents of the plain white box being moved, and others stopping and joining in the rendering of honors to Chance at each transitional step. We see the elaborate steps Strobl takes along the way as well, but even more importantly, we see a man who starts the movie confident in his task become a little more unsure of himself until near the end he finally confronts his own conflicted feelings about not being in combat, only to have his self doubt and loathing completely unraveled by a Korean vet whom he shares his feelings with.
The final meeting with Chance’s family is gut wrenching but cleansing.
The movie ends with him returning to his family after a contemplative and apparently cleansing ride home as a civilian, his duty now complete.
The movie’s strength lies in two elements: The story is one we never see. We see the body count in Iraq, but we never hear about the bodies. While the media pressures the Military to show the flag draped coffins, it is not to honor them but to punctuate the war’s flaws with the grim reminders. In Taking Chance, the war is secondary to the warrior, and the real purpose of the movie is to chronicle the honors given to our heroic fallen soldiers, not just by the Military escorts, but by the bystanders as well. Airline ground crew doff their hats and become an impromptu civilian honor guard. Passengers are moved to tears seeing the honors being presented having realized the reality of what it must mean. Chance’s passage touches all who see him. This to me shows the best of us, military and civilian alike.
The other powerful addition to this is Keven Bacon as Lt Col Strobl. Bacon is a master of the stoic regard, and the conflicted emotion filled gaze. His performance is likely the finest he has ever done. By the end of the film he looks drawn and haggard as the weight of his task consumes him, but he still maintains the rigid professionalism we expect of a Marine. We see this especially in his reactions to the gratitude of the family, who find his being there (an officer) a great honor to their son. He instead offers a quiet denial, the honor is his to be there.
The movie resonates the most because I think we see what we want to see happening to our fallen, that they are afforded the utmost respect and honor. We see the extreme measures this Marine goes through, and even as we are in awe at his dedication we also expect it because we expect the amazing from our Marines.
We also place ourselves in it. The reactions of the bystanders are the reactions we hope we would give in the same situation.
And the doubt and angst, the humanity that Strobl so gradually begins to display remind us that behind the creases and polish, our soldiers are people, professional well trained people, but real people nonetheless.
After and above everything else, our fallen heroes are sons and daughters, brothers and sisters. We never see Chance’s face during the movie (we do see him in the credits) but the movie still easily puts the faces on our fallen that white headstones and flag drapped coffins conceal. They are us.
War movies will come and go, in this and all wars to come. But I doubt any other movie will ever capture this stark vision of duty warring with humanity, and the strange bittersweet mixture of pain and gratitude it creates.
Trackposted to Blog @ MoreWhat.com, Rosemary’s Thoughts, Nuke Gingrich, Woman Honor Thyself, Right Truth, The World According to Carl, DragonLady’s World, The Pink Flamingo, CORSARI D’ITALIA, and Stageleft, thanks to Linkfest Haven Deluxe.
