Courage Under Fire - Trivia, Questions and Fun Facts

[linda]

The unit portrayed in the movie, commanded by Lieutenant Colonel Serling, is the 2nd Armored Cavalry Regiment (2nd ACR). The Regiment was comprised of heavy tanks (M1A1) and fighting vehicles (Bradly FV M3). The unit as such no longer exists. It is now known as the 2nd Cavalry Regiment (Stryker) which fights as an infantry (non-tanks) unit.

[bernard]

When Lieutenant Colonel Serling meets Sergeant Monfriez for the first time, Monfriez is chastising a trainee soldier for leaving his comrades behind. It's ironic that a major aspect of the plot involves Monfriez doing just that to Captain Walden.

[kyle]

English critic Mark Kermode cited this film's casting of Meg Ryan as a helicopter pilot as the benchmark for a casting decision so ludicrous that it takes the viewer out of the film.

[sophie]

In some of the background scenes in the training camp, cadets from Texas A&M University were used as extras.

[alyssa]

Steve Zahn auditioned for the role of Specialist Ilario.

[gerald]

Denzel Washington and Scott Glenn appeared in Training Day (2001). They also played the same role in different versions of the same story; Glenn in Man on Fire (1987) and Washington in Man on Fire (2004).

[elmer]

In the scene where Sterling is packing to begin his trip to investigate the Medal of Honor, there is a picture on the bedroom wall of the Watts Towers in Los Angels, CA. These towers were also the stage for the final climactic scene of another Denzel Washington movie, Ricochet (1991).

[marc]

When Denzel Washington was first approached with the script, his immediate thought was to contact Edward Zwick to direct. Washington had worked with Zwick on Glory (1989) to Oscar-winning effect.

[kristen]

This was the first movie produced by Fox 2000 Pictures to be released in theatres.

[miriam]

The crew drill while firing at enemy targets in the film is generally accurate, although it breaks down during the heat of the battle. The tank commander (TC) orders "Crew Report," after which each of the four crew members identifies himself and responds "Ready." When a target is sighted the TC orders (for example - it can vary) "Gunner--Sabot--Tank," which notifies the gunner that he is to fire at a tank, and notifies the loader to load a Sabot round (armor-piercing anti-tank), if one is not already loaded. The gunner replies, "Identified," which means he has acquired the target and can take it under fire, and the loader replies, "Up," meaning the main gun is loaded with the proper round and is ready to fire. The TC orders "Fire!" and the gunner, after using the laser rangefinder to get the range to the target and making final sight adjustments, says "On the way!" and pulls the trigger ("laze and blaze," as gunner Patella says in the film).