What's most appreciated of Schumacher's effort here is the lack of in situ melodrama and stereotypes. Wherein every previous director debased the Vietnam era movie to orientalism, misogyny and absurdity (Stone), this film shows the destruction of the war, at home. CF still stands as one of the most underrated and brilliant actors of our time. The grit, lofi and desaturated look of the film drives the exegesis with painful clarity. Stone, De Palma and Kubrick decided to turn Vietnam into a playground of biases, hyper-masculinity and degradation whereas JS helps us locate the hardships of the era. This is what A Soldier's Story did for WW2 and race relations in the South. Though this film isn't a proxy civil rights piece, it sits in the hearts of the characters without relying on the tired tropes of the genre.
