Friendly Fire

Watching this film nearly 40 years later, it's amazing that nothing has changed. We are still involved in useless wars, and the military/industrial complex and secret government continue to lie to American citizens as they profit from their wars.

FRIENDLY FIRE helped make the Vietnam War personal, taking the unnecessary death of an unimportant soldier and showing the world that every death matters.

The story of the Iowa farm couple, the Mullens, is beautifully told here in an straightforward way. It shows us their everyday life, their community, their kids. It shows the devastation their son's death in Vietnam brings. It then chronicles the long journey to discovery the truth about that death.

Carol Burnett and Ned Beatty are superb in playing this middle-America couple. There's nothing extraordinary about them. They are average citizens going about their lives until war claims their son. What ensues is a years-long battle with the government and the military to get to the truth. Their mail is tampered with. Their phones are bugged. They are lied to by the military anxious to cover-up their own ineptitude.

The Mullens challenge the way the war is sold to the American public on the evening news. They challenge the very concept of this "war to save democracy" that actually has nothing to do with this country and that was never legally sanctioned by Congress.

Nothing has changed. Add Iraq and Afghanistan to the list of wars.

In casting comedienne Burnett as Peg Mullen, the filmmakers scored a brilliant bulls eye by using Burnett's cozy personality to embody Mullen's flinty determination. Beatty is also perfectly cast. Together they portray a couple shattered by the death of their son, unable to move forward with their lives. Sam Waterston plays the writer who eventually pens the book this film was based on.

No one wins a war. And this film perfectly portrays the that fact.

This is the TV movie that established Carol Burnett as an exceptionally fine dramatic actress. She gives a deeply moving portrayal of real-life Iowa farmer Peg Mullen who went on a crusade to uncover the truth of her son's death in Vietnam. The scene when Peg first approaches her son's coffin is emotionally shattering. It breaks me up in tears every time I watch it. Carol received critical raves, an Emmy Award nomination for Best Actress and the People's Choice Award. Such is the power of Burnett's performance that she totally erases the image of the beloved clown of her wildly popular 1967 to 1978 variety show. She gets outstanding support from Ned Beatty as Peg's husband, Timothy Hutton as their younger surviving son and Sam Waterston as the investigative journalist. The film is among the most distinguished ever made for television. It won multiple 1979 Emmy Awards including Best Drama.

Riveting film about a family torn apart by a death in Viet Nam. The son of a farmer goes to war in an infantry unit and is killed by his own men by accident. The grief suffered by his family was hard to take as I watched the movie. Carol Burnett was brilliant as the shocked and angry mother. This film showed the waste of war, and the military's attitude about a soldier's duty as opposed to a family's rejection of the government calling a farmer a soldier. Everyone should see this program.

A stunning, sobering look at the crumbling lives of a heartland farm couple who are forced to deal with governmental apathy and red tape to learn the truth behind their eldest son's death in Vietnam. Superbly written and directed with careful detail as to period and attitude, this already rich and poignant production is all the more enhanced by powerhouse performances.

Comedy icon Carol Burnett is handed THE dramatic role of her career and passes with flying colors. As flag-waving mother-turned-war activist Peg Mullen, Burnett buries her legendary elastic face and broad gestures with startling, subtle conviction and lends bitter truth to the quietly distraught but unstoppable Mullen, a woman on a mission who learns to fight back with every untruth she is being fed. The scene where she visits her son's casket at the funeral home will haunt any viewer for a long time to come. Who would have thought Burnett would be up to this arduous task? Kudos to the producers for such a daring, valiant choice. Mullen, who grew up red-white-and-blue proud, went on, by the way, to serve as a significant symbol of protest against the Vietnam war, prompting the government to give unbiased, accurate accounts of military casualties.

Ned Beatty provides able support as the dutiful, grief-stricken husband who finds it just as difficult coping with the fact that his son died mysteriously by "friendly fire" (American artillery fire)during maneuvers than by heroism. Less committed to tackling government indifference and lies, he shows the inner turmoil of a man forced to stand in the shadows of his wife's newly-found obsession and celebrity, a move which threatens home and hearth. Timothy Hutton effectively portrays the neglected younger son who handles his grief in silence as well. Dennis Erdman as the older, ill-fated son, is superior appearing in war-time flashbacks to reveal the sad truth behind his unnecessary death. Sam Waterston as a well-meaning journalist shows appropriate strength and exasperation as a man caught between helping Mullen and fighting department politics himself.

But first and foremost, this is Burnett's show. For anyone who thinks of her as a limited, one-note slapstick queen will think again after witnessing this performance. Surprisingly, she lost the Emmy award for this once-in-a-lifetime role to Bette Davis, better known for her larger-than-life acting histrionics as well.

A must see TV mini-movie.

The Unites States Army has a history dating back to 1776. In it's archives are stories of great courage and heroism. Citizens, ranging from school Children to civic patriots who erect statues and monuments to those great men have come to believe in their heroes. It is difficult then to discover that the very people who are entrusted with telling the truth of the fallen have decided to lie to Americans. This movie is called " Friendly Fire " a difficult misnomer if ever there was one. The most famous casualty of friendly fire (accidently killing our own soldiers) was Pat Tillman a courageous man who gave up a lucrative football career to serve his country. However, the U.S Army dishonored his sacrifice and fabricated his death. In this story, Mr. and Mrs. Gene Mullen (Ned Beatty and Carol Burnett, Great acting.) play an Iowa couple who proudly see their son Michael march off to war. Unfortunately, the military replays their trust by first pretending to not knowing the details of their son's death and then later trying to destroy their credibility by not answering their inquisitive questions, spying on them, tapping their phones and finally trying to discredit them as Americans and their tireless efforts to learn the real story behind their son's death. Director David Greene and writer Courtlandt Bryan provide's amply foundation for the Mullen's desperate plea for understanding and final resolution. Sam Waterston plays C.D. Bryan a very sympathetic writer who finally helps them to find a simple peace. One which America still waits on the fifth Tillman investigation. ****