Casualties of War is a 1989 war drama film directed by Brian De Palma, and starring Michael J. Fox and Sean Penn. The film is based on real-life events that occurred during the Vietnam War, primarily the kidnapping, rape, and murder of a young Vietnamese girl by American soldiers in 1966.
The film follows Private First Class Maxwell "Max" Eriksson (played by Fox), a young and inexperienced soldier who is assigned to the squad of Staff Sergeant Tony Meserve (played by Penn), a hardened and reckless veteran. Meserve leads the squad on a mission to capture a female Vietnamese villager and transport her to a nearby bunker, where they plan to rape her.
Eriksson, who is uncomfortable with the idea of kidnapping and raping a civilian, attempts to persuade his fellow soldiers to release the girl and report Meserve's actions to their commanding officers. However, he is ostracized from the group and ultimately unable to stop the assault.
The film depicts the psychological toll that the incident takes on Eriksson, who is haunted by the memory of the girl's brutalization. In the aftermath of the assault, Eriksson becomes the sole witness to the crime and must testify against his fellow soldiers in a military trial.
Casualties of War explores themes of power, morality, and the dehumanizing effects of war on soldiers. The film was both critically and commercially successful and is widely regarded as one of the most powerful anti-war films of all time.