Courage Under Fire (1996)

Demoted to a desk job for a friendly fire accident, Army lieutenant Denzel Washington is called in to investigate the worthiness of chopper commander Meg Ryan for the Medal of Honor. Inconsistencies in the stories of those who witnessed her allegedly heroic behavior makes him pause in signing off on the award despite pressures from his superiors to quickly wrap up the investigation. What follows is an intriguing blend of figuring out who to believe when stories conflict mixed with the gender politics of the United States military. With an inconsistently bad accent, it’s not Ryan’s best role, though she conveys a decent blend of strength and vulnerability. Denzel as always can carry a movie, but I was most impressed with Matt Damon as one of Ryan’s crew members. It’s one of the best acting jobs I’ve seen from him.