Movie Review: Taking Chance

Over a year ago, Father Jim, who at the time was one of our parish priests, gave one of his typically brilliant homilies.  In the course of doing so he made reference to a made-for-cable-movie (HBO) entitled Taking Chance.  Although I don't remember all of the specifics of the homily anymore, nor how Father Jim artfully connected this movie to the scriptures we had heard in the liturgy that Sunday, I do remember him recounting with tears in his eyes the sacrifice, honor, and respect portrayed in this movie.

I was curious what it was about this movie that had left such a powerful impression on my priest, to the point where I still recall his emotional recounting of this movie a year and a half later.

I made it a point to watch Taking Chance....  and then I understood.

In this rare and exceptional movie, Kevin Bacon plays Marine Lt. Col. Michael Strobl, a career military man who volunteers to accompany the body of a dead Marine, 19-year-old Lance Corporal Chance Phelps, as he is returned from Iraq to his family for burial.

It is a solemn duty that Colonel Strobl does not take lightly.  The journey, as told in the movie, shows how those in the military and in our country pay the deepest respect to one of our fallen heroes.  The portrayals are not over the top but simply convey the profound respect and sadness that most of us feel when confronted with this reality. 

The screenplay for Taking Chance was coauthored by the real Colonel Strobl, now retired from the Marine Corps, and is based on the journal that Strobl wrote during the journey.  The depth of emotion and respect comes through on screen with great sincerity and truthfulness accordingly. 

Kevin Bacon as Lieutenant Colonel Strobl does a masterful job with the part.  He does not overplay the emotion in a falsely sentimental way but rather remains stoic and yet somehow deeply affected by his journey just the same as he is taking Lance Corporal Chance Phelp's body home to his final resting place.  It is undoubtedly Bacon's finest performance I have ever seen.

The movie is very understated in so many ways.  There is no violence, cursing, explosions or even excessive or complicated dialogue in Taking Chance.  The effect of sadness and respect are even more powerful because of this.

Towards the end of the film when Strobl briefly expresses regret that his role of "escort" feels hollow because of his own personal self-disappointment, a Korean War vet reprimands him. "Without a witness," he tells Strobl, Phelps would just "disappear."

Regardless of what your views are about war, I would most highly recommend viewing Taking Chance.  It is one of those rare movies that proves the axiom that "less is more" and more importantly it leaves a deep and lasting impression on a person as to what honor and respect truly are.  Having purchased and seen the movie several times, I understand now why Father Jim was affected the way he was.  I was too.

My Top 30 Movies of All Time

Okay, who am I to be different? Figured I'd give my take on my favorite 25 movies of all time, except, I couldn't narrow it down to 25. Guess you all get my top 30 instead.

30 Highlander A new concept for a plot. Pretty sure I don't want to live this life forever though…
29 Kiss the Girls Morgan Freeman and Ashley Judd both do fantastic jobs in this great thriller!
28 While You Were Sleeping Okay, I know this is a chick-flick but I have lived in a household with women for several decades now. Besides, Sandra Bullock and a great script make this one funny!
27 Silence of the Lambs Great acting! Anthony Hopkins did a phenomenally creepy job in this one!
26 Grand Torino Clint Eastwood's lines are so politically incorrect in this movie, that you have to laugh out loud. Guaranteed to tick off those easily offended.
25 Everything that Rises An obscure movie starring Dennis Quaid as a small time present-day Montana rancher. Great story line and beautiful scenery! Good family movie, if you can find it.
24 The Last Samurai If you can get past the strange notion of Tom Cruise adopting the Bushido code of honor, this is a great movie.
23 History of the World So stupid that you have to laugh. Great one-liners. Mel Brooks' funniest film by far!
22 Iron Man Of all the rash of comic book movies, except Dark Knight, this one is by far the best. Great special effects and performance by Robert Downey Jr.
21 Crimson Tide Nearly anything with Gene Hackman or Denzel Washington is going to be great. This one is exceptionally so, despite some inaccuracies of submarine protocols.
20 We Were Soldiers Well done Viet Nam story that shows the horrors of war and the home front that was based on a true story.
19 Tombstone Another great Western. Kurt Russell, Val Kilmer, and Sam Elliot. "I'm your huckleberry!"
18 Blade Good vampire versus all the bad vampires out there. Wesley Snipes' best movie.
17 Star Trek Very well done version and great special effects. The casting of Spock and Bones for this one was dead on!
16 In Harm's Way Best John Wayne WWII movie with an all star cast including Kirk Douglas, Robert Mitchum, Carrol O'Conner, Burgess Meredith, and Slim Pickens.
15 Rocky III Best of the Rocky movies. They should have ended the Rocky series with this one, as they had originally planned.
14 3:10 to Yuma One of the best recent Westerns in a long while. Russell Crowe makes for a great complex bad guy, and having been to Yuma, I understand why he doesn't want to go there either.
13 Underworld Great story line in a vampires versus werewolves plot.
12 Jaws Scared the crap out of me the first time I saw it. I wouldn't step into the surf for a long time after that, particularly when I heard about the shark attack at Cannon Beach on the Oregon coast shortly after seeing this one.
11 The Princess Bride Great lines all throughout this one. "I don't think that means what you think it means!" Also a great family movie.
10 The Matrix Loved the totally new concepts behind this movie's plot, despite Keanu Reeves being the star.
9 The Man From Snowy River Australian western with beautiful cinematography. Kirk Douglas co-stars and does a fantastic job, as usual. Good family movie, too.
8 The Exorcism of Emily Rose Creepy movie that is loosely based on a true story.
7 A Few Good Men Rob Reiner's best movie. And while Colonel Jessup was wrong, he was also right!
6 The Dark Knight Fantastic plot line and an absolutely incredible performance by Heath Ledger as the Joker.
5 Rio Bravo Still my favorite John Wayne western. Great sound track with Dean Martin co-starring in this classic.
4 Serenity Cult classic movie created after the short-lived but very well written & dialogued series "Firefly".
3 Braveheart In my opinion, still the greatest epic ever done.
2 Passion of the Christ It was reported that Pope John Paul II purportedly said after seeing this, "It is as it was."

And my number one movie of all time is....

1 The Lord of the Rings Trilogy It is very rare for a movie to be better than a classic book. LOTR does it while being faithful to the spirit of the author's vision. Great acting, great special effects, and great screenplay of these classic books. None are better!

Anyway, not that anyone cares, but those are my favorites that came to mind. I am sure I probably will remember others that I should have included later, but this is a pretty comprehensive list for me.

Anyway, best wishes to all for a very Happy New Year!