Definition: Stop loss is a legal, involuntary required extension of a soldier’s service duty beyond his/her normal discharge date that is enacted by Congress and enforced by the President when the needs of a voluntary army require.

While it is exciting news that Stop-Loss is the first new film by Kimberly Peirce since her intriguing Boys Don’t Cry, no amount of powerful, heartfelt performances can save an unfocused script that’s all over the place. Part patriotic, part anti-war, part road film, Stop-Loss concerns several weeks in the life of a much decorated Iraq War soldier Sgt. Brandon King, who returns to his Texas hometown at the end of his tour of duty only to realize the adjustment to civilian life is not at all easy.

With almost daily flashbacks of the horrors of war experiences, King and several of his hometown buddies who served with him can’t face up to a slough of family relationship problems that now are their reality. And if that isn’t enough, King receives a special Army order for stop-loss duty to return to Iraq within the next month.

This action sets King into action; he does not want to return to the killing which he now sees as senseless, and after going AWOL tries, with the help of his best friend Steve’s girlfriend to get to Washington DC to seek the help of his senator. Peirce and co-screenwriter Mark Richard emphasize the personal dilemma of King most effectively, but once the initial events of the film occur, the issues of duty and honor of a soldier and family and friendships all blur in an unfocused collection of desperate measures that lead to an unsatisfying resolution.

Peirce’s cast delivers strong, natural working class performances that nicely underscore the emotional appeal of the film. Ryan Phillippe is passionately believable as the tough, but confused King. This is further complemented by Channing Tatum and Joseph Gordon-Levitt who play his buddies Steve and Tommy. Abbie Cornish’s Michelle also plays a difficult role of Steve’s frustrated but independent minded fiancé. Stop-Loss is a mixed bag of emotions, a lot like the on-going conflict in Iraq.