Courage Under Fire (1996) on Netflix
A friendly fire mistake kills a friend. Lt. Col. Nathan Serling is moved to a desk job, then must judge whether Captain Karen Walden, a Medevac pilot, deserves the Medal of Honor.
- Netflix3.6/5
- IMDb6.6/1064,241 votes
- Rotten Tomatoes85%
Trailer
Plot summary
During the Persian Gulf War, Lieutenant Colonel Nathaniel Serling fires on one of his own tanks at night and kills his friend, Lieutenant Tom Boylar. The Army hides the friendly fire accident and moves him to a desk job. He is then assigned to decide whether Captain Karen Walden, a Medevac helicopter commander, should receive the Medal of Honor after her death. Her crew's accounts disagree: Specialist Andrew Ilario praises her, while Staff Sergeant John Monfriez says she was a coward.
Cast
Did you know?!Facts and trivia about Courage Under Fire (1996)
Can contain spoilers, watch the movie first.
- The Pentagon denied a request for access to military equipment, and Philip M. Strub, speaking for the Pentagon, said of the film's characters that "there wasn't a good soldier among them". The filmmakers instead had former Australian Army Centurion tanks modified to resemble the M1 Abrams seen in the film.
- Matt Damon said he lost 40 pounds for his role despite being scheduled for only two days of shooting opposite Washington. When critics and reporters rarely mentioned his appearance, he said he contemplated suicide; after he was medicated his mental health improved, and Steven Spielberg later complimented him and cast him in Saving Private Ryan.
