Having been discharged from the Marines for a hayfever condition before ever seeing action, Woodrow Lafayette Pershing Truesmith (Eddie Bracken) delays the return to his hometown, feeling that he is a failure. While in a moment of melancholy, he meets up with a group of Marines who befriend him and encourage him to return home to his mother by fabricating a story that he was wounded in battle with honorable discharge. They make him wear a uniform complete with medals and is pushed by his new friends into accepting a Hero's welcome when he gets home where he is to be immortalized by a statue that he doesn't want, has songs written about his heroic battle stories, and ends up unwillingly running for mayor. Despite his best efforts to explain the truth, no one will listen.
伯迪(马修·莫迪恩 Matthew Modine 饰)是个从小活在幻想中的孩子,他一直向往鸟的生活,羡慕他们有翅膀可以飞翔,自己也兴致勃勃地动手制作翅膀,幻想有朝一日飞上天空。越战爆发打断少年美梦。战场上残忍的一幕幕让内心脆弱的伯迪受到极大刺激,终于失去理智,成为现实意义中的“精神病人”,被送进医院。在医院里,他从不说话,每天以鸟的姿态蹲着,以鸟的方式吃东西,在牢笼里望着一方小小的蓝天向往飞翔。为了治疗伯迪,医院找来他的儿时好友艾尔(尼古拉斯·凯奇 Nicolas Cage 饰),希望他能引导伯迪重新和人交流。艾尔用大量共同回忆开启伯迪的心智,也认识到对伯迪来说只有飞翔的梦想是永恒的……
本片根据威廉 ·霍顿发表于1978年的小说改编而成,曾获戛纳电影节评委会大奖。
越战期间,美军大量征兵。大批年轻人应征入伍,在新兵营接受“残忍”的训练。“傻瓜”比尔运动神经不发达,常常犯错而连累所有人一起受罚。“小丑”(马修•莫迪恩 Matthew Modine 饰)奉命帮助比尔,但比尔还是老犯错误,连累其他人。大家忍无可忍下打了他一顿,比尔从此变得精神恍惚,在新兵营毕业前夕枪杀教官后吞枪自杀。
“小丑”随后分到了军队新闻组。他在采访中看到了当时的同伴们都已经变得麻木、残忍。一次,“小丑”随“牛仔”执行任务时,遭到越共狙击手伏击,“牛仔”亦不幸中弹身亡。众人经过一番搜索,击伤了狙击手。“小丑”发现狙击手竟是一个年轻少女。有人提议留下她挣扎而死,“小丑”在少女“杀了我”的哀求声中,扣下了扳机。
The story of a platoon during the Korean War. One by one Corporal Denno's superiors are killed until it comes to the point where he must try to take command responsiblity.
1945年8月6日,美国在日本广岛投下原子弹,震惊世界的毁灭性打击终结了那场人类有史以来最残酷的战争。在此之后,菲勒斯将军(马修·福克斯 Matthew Fox 饰)随同麦克阿瑟(汤米·李·琼斯 Tommy Lee Jones 饰)飞抵日本,处理战后事宜。美军先后将29名日本高官指为战犯并予以逮捕,而对天皇裕仁的处理方面却令他们备感棘手。考虑到菲勒斯对日本的熟悉程度,麦克阿瑟命令他在十天之内就裕仁对战局的影响程度进行评估。深知天皇在日本国民心目中的重要地位,稍有不慎便会引起连锁反应。为此菲勒斯慎重以对,尽可能地去理清神化面纱后一个东方男子的人生轨迹。与此同时,他渴望找到曾有过短暂交往的女孩彩(初音映莉子 饰)。
短暂的十天异国之旅,决定一个国家乃至世界命运的重要时刻……