This is a TV movie produced by HBO. The duration is only more than 70 minutes, but the shock it brings to me is extremely powerful. Every time I think of military-themed movies, this movie will always come to my mind.
The perspective of the film is unique, with only one theme: when a soldier falls, how do we send him home?
In the past film history, no film has yet focused on this process. At most, we have seen the coffins of US soldiers killed in action covered with the national flag being lifted off the plane. The family members cried bitterly and were quite fragmented.
But this film is different, it only focuses on one thing, how the US military sends a fallen soldier home, the plot is very simple, but the process is very shocking.
The film is based on a true story. On April 9, 2004, Chancellor was attacked by the enemy, and Chancellor was killed while fighting for the time and opportunity to retreat and advance for his comrades and superiors. On April 17, 2004, his body was escorted home by Lt. Col. Mike Stroble and buried in Duboe, Wyoming . Afterwards, Lieutenant Colonel Mike wrote his experience into an article called "Escort Chance".
The famous actor Kevin Bacon plays Lieutenant Colonel Mike, who escorts Private Chancellor home.
Lieutenant Colonel Mike is a full-time officer in charge of the deployment of human resources. His daily job is to count the casualties of each unit, and then give a supply plan. This is a very painful job. The one he has to deal with the most is the list of the dead. He prays every day not to see his familiar name. Because of this, he is very painful. He thinks he is a soldier, but he does not deserve to be a soldier. What he did, watching his soldiers continue to die in battle, he was full of anguish but no one told him.
He wanted to do something for the soldiers, so he took the initiative to ask Ying to protect the soul of the unfortunate soldier Chancellor. The tradition of the US military is that comrades in arms usually escort the coffin back to his hometown. It is relatively rare for officers to protect the spirit. He came from the east coast of the United States Departing from Dover Air Force Base, Delaware, to the hometown of Private Chancellor of Wyoming in the northwestern United States, the Thousand Mile Guardian Spirit, the distance is more than 3,000 kilometers.
The film describes in great detail the whole process of soldier Chance's body from returning to the country to being buried in the soil, full of a strong sense of ritual. First of all, the coffin is returned to the country. Every step is carefully and never sloppy.
Then to the cleaning and treatment of the remains, the staff of the base have done a good job in every detail, from the cleaning of each relic, to the makeup of the corpse, to the production of military uniforms, to the selection of coffins, and every staff member is meticulous. Work with deep respect and pay tribute to the soldiers silently.
After arriving at the airport, various staff, drivers, security inspectors, captains, and passengers, everyone gave him and Chance the greatest respect after knowing the identity of Lieutenant Colonel Mike Qianli's guardian spirit.
When the car carrying the coffin was about to drive to Chance's hometown, all the vehicles on the road turned on their headlights to greet the hearse, and spontaneously formed a team to escort the hearse. At that moment, tears ran.
In Chance's hometown, all the villagers came to attend Chance's funeral, telling how they missed the child. The scene was very touching.
Finally, the soldier Chancellor returned to his hometown.
The most frequent scene in this film is Lieutenant Colonel Mike's slow salute to Chance's coffin again and again. Every time he sees the coffin, he insists on doing this. As the film progresses, the audience feels more and more like him. This is not hypocrisy, but a heartfelt respect.
We didn't see Chancellor's face in the whole film. At the end, when the lieutenant colonel in civilian clothes sat in the middle of the passengers and started to write his own book "Escort Chancellor", the subtitle appeared "Dedicated to all those who gave their lives for the country" People", the real photos of Chance appearing slowly, from Private First Class to the pictures of his childhood, we finally understand that this is not a story, it is all real.
The main theme is not easy to shoot, and it is the same in all countries, but the film "Escorting Chance" has made the best US military recruitment advertisement with a unique perspective. Every detail of the whole process of protecting the spirit of thousands of miles expresses the country and the country. The people's deep love and sincere respect for soldiers. Every soldier is an independent individual, a human with flesh and blood, not a machine, not a nail. Even if he falls, someone should send his soul back to his hometown!
The whole film is not preachy, not hypocritical, the rhythm is slow, the atmosphere is dignified, and the duration is just right, without too much sensationalism and dialogue, but only relying on the pictures and music to achieve the desired effect. It is recommended that Chinese film workers study hard.
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