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Taking Chance |  | Actor: Kevin Bacon
Studio: Hbo Home Video
Category: DVD
List Price: $19.97
Buy Used: $4.55
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Seller: wholesaledvdsforless
Rating:  312 reviews
Sales Rank: 562
Format: AC-3, Color, Dolby, DVD, Subtitled, Closed-captioned, NTSC
Languages: English (Subtitled), French (Subtitled), Portuguese (Subtitled), Spanish (Subtitled), English (Original Language)
Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Region: 1
Discs: 1
Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1
Running Time: 77 Minutes
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.2
Dimensions (in): 8 x 5.7 x 0.6
MPN: 883929033065
UPC: 883929033065
EAN: 0883929033065
ASIN: B001TOD6N4
Theatrical Release Date: 2009
Release Date: May 12, 2009
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Product Description
Follows Marine Lt. Col. Michael Strobl as he escorts the coffin carrying Lance Corporal Chance Phelps back to Phelps' hometown in Wyoming.
Amazon.com
The made-for-HBO Taking Chance is based on perhaps the single most moving artifact to come out of the Second Gulf War, Lt. Col. Mike Strobl's first-person narrative of his voluntary mission escorting the body of a fellow Marine killed in Iraq. Strobl (played in the film by Kevin Bacon) hadn't known Lance Cpl. Chance Phelps but, noticing they'd been born in the same western town, he requested temporary leave from his duties as a manpower-deployment analyst at Quantico in order to accompany the 20-year-old's body home. Home, as it turned out, was no longer their shared birthplace in Colorado but the high-country Wyoming town of Dubois. The journey would take Strobl deep into the heart of his nation, and his own heart as well. There's no overstating the power and beauty of what he encountered: one instance after another of not just military personnel but airline employees, passengers, and bystanders doing honor--mostly wordlessly--to Chance's coffin and his escort as they passed by. First-time director Ross Katz deserves credit for declining to inflate any of these moments or underscore their meaning with grandiloquent speechifying, and Bacon--an actor who couldn't hit a false note if his life depended on it--is true to the Desert Storm veteran's self-discipline and emotional discretion. The picture's decency is unimpeachable, and Strobl's story, transcending pro-war and anti-war politics, is itself an act of healing. What's missing is the seasoned hand of a great director (Ang Lee, say) to invest it with the rhythm and movement of a fully achieved feature film. Still, this is a journey you'll feel enriched by sharing. --Richard T. Jameson On the DVD
Several somewhat overlapping short videos offer testimony to Chance Phelps's fun-loving spirit, heroic death, and spiritual legacy by his family, friends, and fellow Marines. They're good people. There's also a brief deleted scene--actually, portion of a scene--and some not particularly illuminating commentary on the making of the film. --Richard T. Jameson
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| Customer Reviews:
Showing reviews 1-5 of 312
A moving and profound film February 26, 2009
Donald M. Bishop (Virginia)
139 out of 140 found this review helpful
I viewed this film at a pre-screening, and I left the theater deeply moved. It's a simple story made into a heartfelt film -- Marine Lieutenant Colonel Michael Strobl (perfectly played by Kevin Bacon) accompanies the remains of Private First Class Chance Phelps from the mortuary at Dover AFB in Delaware to his home in Wyoming.
The Marine's death in Iraq occurs in the tense first minute of the film, with viewers only hearing the radio chatter and the explosion on a black screen. The screen comes to light with PFC Phelps' remains being sent to the U.S. The care of the remains and the personal effects makes visible and gives dignity to the anonymous work at Dover AFB.
The story takes the viewer into some seldom-seen corners of America -- from airport cargo facilities to the mountain highways of Wyoming -- and shows everywhere the reverence for the fallen. When the escort gives Phelps' watch, dog tags, and wooden cross to his parents, eight days after his death, even men will feel the tears coming. Finally, as LtCol Strobl (who had not yet been to Operation Iraqi Freedom when he accompanied Phelps' remains home) thinks over the experience, there's a meditation on where duty lies for a Marine Corps officer.
Director Ross Katz, Kevin Bacon, and HBO have given us a profound film that grants us a rare look not at America's prosperity, or freedoms, or politics -- but rather America's soul.
-30-
A moving American experience March 1, 2009
Robin Benson
75 out of 75 found this review helpful
A deeply moving story and another plus for HBO. To my mind you just don't see too many movies that have this kind of honesty. One that comes to mind was The Straight Story. Taking Chance, though, is a completely different theme dealing with death, respect, honor, patriotism, family and love. Fortunately all of this is handled in a straightforward no-nonsense way and thank goodness it was. Hollywood really doesn't have too much of a reputation for presenting a simple truth without twisting it into something else.
The story unfolds very much like a documentary I thought. Kevin Bacon plays Lt. Col. Michael Strobl as the military escort taking the body of a dead soldier home to be buried. His performance was just right as was everyone else because the story was greater than all the parts combined. Particularly rewarding to watch, while the coffin, covered by the flag, was at airports or on the highway, was the way ordinary people took it upon themselves to pay their respects to someone they didn't know but who had died for his country: for them.
I don't know if this kind of movie is awards material. I think the story, in its simplicity and honesty, puts it way above the hype, razzle-dazzle and celebrity PR nonsense that surround awards. It's just too good to be commercialized in that way. It would be wonderful if its stature was achieved by word-of-mouth alone.
See it and be moved!
Taking Chance February 24, 2009
J. Young
55 out of 56 found this review helpful
I'm a Marine Mom and I found this movie very moving. It was well made and Kevin Bacon did an excellent job portraying his character. I think it showed the honor our fallen hero's receive and deserve.
A VISCERAL EXPERIENCE FROM A VETERAN March 30, 2009
Lon C. Cogley (CHICAGO,ILLINOIS)
28 out of 28 found this review helpful
THIS MOVIE WAS VERY DIFFICULT FOR ME TO WATCH.I FOUND MYSELF AN EMOTIONAL WRECK WHILE VIEWING IT.
.DURING OUR SEVEN MONTH TOUR WE(OUR BATTALION)SUFFERED THE LOSS OF OVER 15 MARINES TO COMBAT AND TOO MANY WOUNDED TO REMEMBER.IN COMBAT THERE IS NO CLOSURE WITH THE PASSING OF WARRIORS.THE MISSION IS THE PRIORITY AND THATS ALL THERE IS TO IT.I COULD GO ON FOR DAYS ABOUT IT.BOTTOM LINE IS THIS FILM WAS THERAPEUTIC FOR ME AND HELPED PUT SOME CLOSURE TO THOSE WE LOST.WHEN A MARINE WAS KILLED IN COMBAT, THE MISSION CONTINUED AND IT COULD BE DAYS OR WEEKS BEFORE YOU RETURN TO THE FOB(FORWARD OPERATING BASE).WHEN YOU DID RETURN, THE FALLEN S' BELONGINGS WERE GONE AND ALL TRACES OF HIM AS WELL.JUST THE MEMORIES REMAINED AND THE NEXT PATROL.WE NEVER GOT TO SEE OR EVEN SPECULATE AS TO THE PROCESS OF RETURNING THE FALLEN WARRIOR TO HIS HOME.YOU QUICKLY BECAME A FATALIST AND LEARNED TO TURN ON AND OFF EMOTION ON COMMAND. I COULD NOT CONTROL MY EMOTION WHILE WATCHING THIS.IT JUST POURED OUT.IT TOOK SEVERAL VIEWING ATTEMPTS BEFORE I COULD ACTUALLY COMPLETE WATCHING THE FILM.KEVIN BACON'S PORTRAYAL AS A MARINE OFFICER WAS OUTSTANDING AND AN ACCOMPLISHMENT IN AND OF ITSELF.THIS FILM SHOULD BE MANDATORY VIEWING FOR EVERY AMERICAN CITIZEN.IT ONLY SKIMS THE SURFACE OF RAW EMOTION, BUT DOES A GREAT JOB AT IT.I CAN'T RECOMMEND IT ENOUGH.COMBAT VETERANS MIGHT WANT TO CONSIDER THE COMPANY THEY KEEP AS THEY WATCH THE FILM THOUGH, IT CAN BE ROUGH.THANK YOU.
Respect & Love March 3, 2009
Andrew Lubin (Bucks County, Pa)
23 out of 23 found this review helpful
As I sat and watched as my Marine son did 2 tours in Iraq in 2003 - 2005, I wondered about our many KIA's coming home...how would they be treated? Did other Americans even care ? Now everyone knows the sacrifices these young Marines made, and everyone knows how Marines take care of their own. More important, we know that these young men will not be forgotten. Well done, Mr. Bacon, and thank you for sharing the story, LtCol Strobl.
Showing reviews 1-5 of 312
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