Taking Chance
| Taking Chance | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Genre | Drama War |
| Written by | LtCol Michael Strobl Ross Katz |
| Directed by | Ross Katz |
| Starring | Kevin Bacon |
| Music by | Marcelo Zarvos |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language(s) | English |
| Production | |
| Executive producer(s) | Ross Katz Brad Krevoy Cathy Wischner-Sola William Teitler (co-executive producer) |
| Producer(s) | Lori Keith Douglas Fred Berger (associate producer) Frank Schaeffer (associate producer) |
| Cinematography | Alar Kivilo |
| Editor(s) | Lee Percy Brian A. Kates |
| Running time | 77 minutes |
| Production company(s) | HBO Films |
| Distributor | HBO Films |
| Release | |
| Original network | HBO |
| Original release |
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| Website | |
Taking Chance is a 2009 American historical drama film based upon the experiences of Marine Lt. Colonel Michael Strobl (Kevin Bacon), who escorted the body of a fallen Marine, PFC Chance Phelps (posthumously promoted to LCpl), back to his hometown from the Iraq War.
The film was selected for showing at the 2009 Sundance Film Festival and premiered on HBO on February 21, 2009.
The film opens on a black screen, with white letters describing the date and place, as we hear radio chatter about a "suspicious vehicle" followed by the sound of an explosion and gunfire. We then cut to see two Marines driving, wearing dress blue uniforms, to an unmarked house in the middle of the night and knocking on the door. Finally we cut to Lt. Colonel Michael Strobl (played by Kevin Bacon) searching on his computer the casualty report for the Middle East. After a couple clips of Michael running through the woods, service members' coffins getting put into an airplane, and some driving. We find the Lt. Col. at work giving a presentation to several other Marines. Then the Lt. Col. makes his way home with his family for a short while, then the camera cuts to five Marines in woodland MarPat camouflage taking US Flag draped coffins off of an airplane in the rain. After a short clip of the Lt. Col. eating dinner with his family, we find him looking at the casualty report yet again but this time he writes down some information. The movie then cuts to him in an interview with a higher ranking Marine and he asks to escort a Marine named PFC (Private First Class) Chance Phelps. He says it is because the PFC is from his hometown, then we see him discuss his choice with his wife. After he explains that he is doing this only because the PFC is from his hometown and has no other meaning, the film cuts to several people doing medical procedures on a dead body which one can assume to be PFC Phelps. After the morticians are shown, the film then cuts to the Lt. Col. leaving and telling his wife goodbye.
He then arrives at Dover Port Mortuary where he gets his instructions along with other Marines on how to go about escorting a fallen Marine. After the instruction, all the service member escorts who are awaiting their turn to depart head outside and render honors as each of them departs. The Lt. Col. then gets told that Phelps isn't ready to be transported yet due to the amount of casualties. He checks into a hotel room and the next day does an inventory, with another Marine, of Phelps' personal items including: a cross on a string, a Saint Christopher necklace, a wristwatch, and Phelps' dog tags. He is told that PFC Phelps's private effects are not to leave his side, under any circumstances. The Lt. Col. then verifies that the body in the van is in fact the PFC and then begins his drive to the airport where he has a talk with Rich Brewer (played by John Magaro) of the Dover Port Mortuary. They talk about the military and how the driver knew two men from his high school who enlisted, one of whom returned after sustaining severe injuries (who is recovering at Walter Reed), and the other who was killed. Lt. Col. Strobl arrives at the airport, where he first renders honors to the PFC as he is offloaded to a cargo area, before saying a curbside goodbye to the driver (telling him, he's "a good man"). Lt. Col. Strobl heads to the check-in counter, where the ticketing agent tells him that he has been upgraded to First Class. As he goes through security, he tells a somewhat annoyed TSA agent that he can't put Phelps' personal items into the x-ray scanner (because they are not allowed to leave his side at any time for any reason). He also says that he won't take off his Marine Dress Uniform Jacket to go through the metal detector because it would degrade the uniform. Eventually he is screened in private, with the TSA agent using a metal-detector wand, while the Lt. Col. holds on to the PFC's personal effects in his hand. He then renders honors to the PFC again as the coffin is loaded onto the airplane. On board, the man next to him in first class orders a Jack Daniels, and he orders a water, after which the man asks him "What, are you on duty?" He replies, "Yes, I am," and they take off. While in the air the flight attendant hands him a crucifix and tells him that she wants him to have it.
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