Saturday night, I watched an HBO movie called "Taking Chance."
The film stars Kevin Bacon. It is a fantastic performance by Bacon.
He portrays Marine Lieutenant Colonel Michael Strobl who works a desk job in Quantico VA. He is a "Desert Storm" veteran but he has not put in for duty in Afghanistan and Iraq. He's content returning home each day to his wife and children.
And yet...he feelss a sense of missing his "moment" as a Marine. And it is this sense of loss that compels him to request an assignment that is becoming more and more frequent -- escort duty for a fallen Marine.
PFC Chance Phelps is the fallen Marine and Mike Strobl is assigned to get Phelps from the mortuary in Dover, Delaware, to Phelps' final resting place in Dubois, Wyoming.
Bacon is the film's central figure -- stoic and a bit taken aback at what he encounters at every turn. The emotional guts of this film come from the supporting players: The woman who cleans Phelps' body, the Marines who prepare Phelps' uniform and ribbons before the man is placed in his casket. At every turn, Strobl is there watching over Chance Phelps...and so, too, are everyday Americans, doing their regular jobs, including this one task -- transporting the remains of a fallen Marine and trying to express, in the best way they can, their grief over this young man and their gratitude to the officer serving as escort. It is the many layers of reaction Bacon has to them that makes his portrayal real...and great.
Bacon is the real deal as a Marine throughout this film, IMO. He does great credit to the uniform. It is what people say to him, how they say it and his genuinely "real" reactions to their words and actions that move the viewer. And, of course, it's Bacon who, bit by bit, begins to let us inside his head and feel what he is feeling. In effect, "taking Chance" to his final duty station is as cathartic for the viewer as it is for his escort.
The supporting cast is wonderful and filled with recognizable faces, such as Tom Wopat (as Phelps' father) and Gordon Clapp, et.al. Most of their names were unknown to me. I'll not forget their performances, though.
I cannot recommend this HBO film highly enough to each of you. Check your HBO listings for an air time and check it out.
