Article 99

As a thirteen year disabled Vietnam Era combat veteran who has been wrestling with the VA system for the past twenty years since being medically disabled (That is AFTER fighting the US Army to save my career or get my disability recognized) I laughed through my tears with my Vietnam Veteran brother as we watched this film.Do you wonder why PTSD vets go off and do crazy things at VA hospitals? Watch this film. Do you wonder why we vets seem angry all the time? Watch this film. Do you REALLY think government run healthcare is the way America should go? WATCH THIS FILM!!!Anyone who believes in socialized medicine should have to endure the Army's medical system where the good doctors have to fight the system -that is AFTER you get to see a real doctor because REAL doctors are in short supply, it took me five years after my initial release from medical care when I was injured in a parachute accident to see a real doctor again- I had to go through the medics and the Battalion Aid Station, the Physician Assistants at the Troop Medical Clinic and only when I was in danger of being chaptered out of service for my disability did I get to see a real doctor at separation physicals who spotted my condition and referred me to specialists who could at least diagnose if not help me. Then, I was given the left foot of fellowship on a medical discharge and left to the tender mercies of the VA.I've met some good VA doctors, but the problem is every time you go back to the clinic you see a new one and have to start over again. Or they make and appointment for a test two months down the road and a followup visit six months later to learn the results.Yeah, we need the government to run healthcare. Now, if I sound political here and it bothers you, leave this movie alone because that is what this film is all about - how government bureaucracy and red tape defeats the purpose of the mission of the VA- or what it's supposed to be.It also details in heartbreaking satire the broken promises to our nation's vets. Yes, I've been treated like a welfare case and worse- a bum. I've been brow-beaten by my doctor when I asked a question about the rating system for disability like I was some sort of bum because I wasn't satisfied with what I was getting. The problem is, if a veteran dies from a service connected disability and it isn't properly rated and recognized, his loved ones don't receive survivor's benefits. But I'm on a rant here.And today's vets are in for it, too. Tri-Care for Life is a joke and the VA isn't set up to handle the influx of vets coming from the current wars. Those of us from previous conflicts are sent to the back of the line to make room for the new vets. The problems shown in this move are only going to get worse.I know Liotta and Sutherland are just actors, but they will always have a warm spot in my heart for making this movie.

Imagine if you will, a veterans administration hospital that is completely mired in politics but is full of veterans that are denied the treatment they rightly deserve and expect. You've just entered......the Red Tape Zone.In a time of crisis, you learn to be creative, sneaky and employ any usable methods that enable you to do the right thing. This is the premise of `Article 99' in which a dedicated and conscientious group of doctors do what they can, however they can, to help the patients that have been declined certain procedures. If It means stealing controlled supplies horded in the basement or maybe hiding a patient somewhere in the hospital to make space for another, it's all part of the plan. Now throw in a new doctor who arrives for an internship and sees all the chaos and it makes for many interesting and amusing situations. Eventually, the tone is set for a dramatic showdown with the administration that leads to a somewhat predictable but thought provoking ending.`Article 99', although fictional, has semblances of truth coursing through it at various places. All you have to do is look at the history of veteran's treatment in this country and the recent unpleasantness surrounding Walter Reed hospital in Virginia and it becomes a lot more distinct. Fortunately, it does hold together as a solid movie with a compelling plot and a great cast. With stars like Ray Liotta, Keifer Sutherland, Forrest Whitaker, Lea Thompson, Keith David, and John C. McGinley showcasing their on-screen abilities, they do a fine job throughout. This is recommended viewing.

I enjoyed this movie with a few reservations. One of those was the political slant it took (blame everything on the Republicans) I think they could have made the movie a little better, and more timeless, by not mentioning a specific party.However the acting skills of Keifer Sutherland and Ray Liotta were very well portrayed, and the movie DOES do a good job of outlining the problems many of our Veterans and members of the Armed forces face on a daily basis.Having served in our nation's Armed forces, and dealt with the VA, I can state that this is what altogether too many Veterans face in the agencies that are supposed to be there to support and serve them.While the plot is a little far fetched (are there really large groups of doctors out there who will confront a whole hospital and government like that???) there is a definite ring of reality to the plight of the patients.The part that scares me, is that this attitude is creeping into the rest of society even today and we may all have to face this kind of bureaucratic shenanigans in our everyday lives if we let this creeping lethargy take over.

Used item but in excellent condition and arrived on time and reasonable pricing.Haven't seen since it was released many years ago and I enjoyed viewing it once again

Having had this film for years on video, when I spotted this DVD, I took the chance to upgrade lol I am a fan of both actors, and this film is brilliant for its time. Okay, its dated now, but as an 80's child I'm still hooked :o)

Hadn't seen it for a long time but a good cast always makes me watch a film.Good service thanks.

i like it

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