Dr. Richard Sturgess leads a team of compassionate doctors at a veteran's hospital. Along with Drs. Morgan, Handleman and Van Dorn, he fights to deliver adequate care to needy veterans in the face of funding cuts and a corrupt administration. To succeed, the staff may have to bend the rules and circumvent the villainous "Article 99," a bureaucratic loophole that prevents veterans from receiving the benefits they deserve.
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Reviews
One of my all time favorites.
Good story, Not enough for a whole film
Fantastic!
By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.
As a Gulf War Veteran who has tolerated enough crap from the Department of Veteran Affairs to last me five life times this movie nails the subject between the ears as it should be addressed. Those civilians who have never had to go through the most insane level of BS known to mankind have not a clue what the Veteran community tolerates as it pertains to acquiring services due the sacrifices we have made.This movie clearly represents the obfuscation, misinformation, lies, denial of services, and the withholding of information that those in charge of the VA tell the practitioners along with other employees to do. Very few times in life are there men and women who see all of the information, see the connections, see the injustice, only to take a step forward to put those in charge on their butt. These rare and rather heroic people stand up against the corruption as those who get the job done. Should you doubt what I am saying visit any VA Medical Center or federal office building where claims are filed in order to speak first hand to those who are in the middle of fighting for necessary services. Furthermore maybe, just maybe you can elaborate on why this movie was released in the shortest time frame only to be rushed through the country as quick as possible. As we certainly do not want to show "Any" government entity in a bad light May God have mercy on the souls of those who delay, deny, and expect us to die as I along with many others shall have no mercy and give no quarter to such rats.
Once upon a time in the Reagan administration, a cog in the cabinet discovered to his amazement that with all the US veterans floating out there from the abysmal failure in Vietnam, the sheer cost of treating them as they aged would skyrocket.Thus it was decided to abolish their problems. See in Bushist America we ignore any problem that we don't want to face.The movie brings up a valid point. The VA has failed in its mission. And the situation from the time the movie was released has worsened. With 80,000 in treatment from the latest war the issues raised by this movie are ones that need to be addressed.Regrettably by reading some hijinx from M * A * S * H into the civil service bureaucracy of the VA and creating a feel good ending the scriptwriters muted the very point they'd like to have made. I gave this a ******* 3 ******** for all its comic but unfunny unrealism. The movie compares with John Q for the unrealistic expectations foisted upon the viewer.It's betterto Tell it like it is than to pretend a social problem is getting better!
It's amazing how this movie came and went, and it hasn't gotten the praise it richly deserves. Ray Liotta turns in one of his best performances, somewhat aping his own performance of Henry Hill in Goodfellas, yet outshines his work in Field of Dreams. A subject that could have easily been exploited is actually treated perfectly. Lea Thompson is believable as a doctor, and Keifer Sutherland started out quite arrogant, and somewhat naive, but turns out to be the most likable of the group. Towards the end, the viewer almost wants to rally around him as much as Liotta's Dr. Sturgis character. The movie is haunting, cause in reality, the way some veterans are treated when they need medical treatment is much different. More VA hospitals have been closed in the past two years then in the past ten, and funding for VA's is continuously chopped in half. A great movie, great cast, and excellent performances in bit roles by Randy Quiad as Shooter, and the late Noble Willingham.
If you want a film that has the same world view try The House of God 1984. If you have ever worked in a hospital you'll find some sad truths in these films. And they do not waste half the film in a football parody like the over rated Atman does.