Search - Taking Chance on DVD


Taking Chance
Taking Chance
Actor: Kevin Bacon
Genres: Drama, Military & War
NR     2009     1hr 17min

Based on the true experiences of Lt. Colonel Michael Strobl, who wrote eloquently of them in a widely circulated 2004 article, Taking Chance is a profoundly emotional look at the military rituals taken to honor its war dea...  more »

     

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Movie Details

Actor: Kevin Bacon
Creator: Michael Strobl
Genres: Drama, Military & War
Sub-Genres: Drama, Military & War
Studio: Hbo Home Video
Format: DVD - Color - Closed-captioned,Subtitled
DVD Release Date: 05/12/2009
Original Release Date: 01/01/2009
Theatrical Release Date: 01/01/2009
Release Year: 2009
Run Time: 1hr 17min
Screens: Color
Number of Discs: 1
SwapaDVD Credits: 1
Total Copies: 0
Members Wishing: 1
MPAA Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Languages: English
Subtitles: English, French, Portuguese, Spanish

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Member Movie Reviews

Sharon F. (Shar) from AVON PARK, FL
Reviewed on 6/16/2022...
Excellent movie! This movie dives deep into the emotions of a death of a service person. I learned a lot from this movie about how they handle the death, the details, and the dressing of the solder.
3 of 3 member(s) found this review helpful.
Melodee S. (Odie) from NORMAL, IL
Reviewed on 2/28/2016...
Enjoyed this movie very much🙋
1 of 1 member(s) found this review helpful.
Jean W. from JORDANVILLE, NY
Reviewed on 2/20/2016...
a really powerful movie...needs watching again
1 of 1 member(s) found this review helpful.
Andrea W. from REDDING, CA
Reviewed on 12/21/2014...
My husband's nephew, a marine Captain) was killed by an IED in Iraq in 2004, and this movie affected him quite strongly. He will want to watch this movie again some day. I'm not a fan of Kevin Bacon, yet he did such a fabulous job portraying the type of caring that our military persons show each other, and the respect the civilians show now, most unlike like the Vietnam veterans received 40 years ago.
3 of 3 member(s) found this review helpful.

Movie Reviews

A moving and profound film
Donald M. Bishop | Virginia | 02/26/2009
(5 out of 5 stars)

"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
Robin Benson | 03/01/2009
(5 out of 5 stars)

"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
J. Young | 02/24/2009
(5 out of 5 stars)

"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."