Overview
A poignant journey of honor and respect unfolds as a soldier's sacrifice is remembered.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Moderate
- Complexity
- Easy to follow
- Violence
- None
- solemn
- contemplative
- humane
- quiet evening
- memorial day viewing
What critics said
Critics broadly praised the film’s restrained, socially conscious treatment of military remembrance, though some found its procedural approach emotionally thin.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
The escort journey repeatedly foregrounds burial traditions, formal honors, and public acts of remembrance.
The film does not depict combat or argue for or against the Iraq War, instead observing the return of a casualty.
Strobl travels from Dover through Philadelphia, Minneapolis, and Billings to Wyoming, collecting gestures of gratitude along the way.
The film carefully observes the hearse, flights, vehicle transfers, and formal handling of Phelps’s remains.
Films like Taking Chance, and why
The Messenger
Shared restrained military drama, moral seriousness, and emphasis on dignity surrounding fallen service members.
Taking Chance
Shared true-story war drama, solemn emotional register, and focus on the human cost of military service rather than combat spectacle.
The Last Full Measure
Shared reflective war drama, procedural detail, and compassionate attention to grief and duty.
In the Valley of Elah
Shared socially conscious drama about military institutions, personal responsibility, and the aftermath of war.
Movie Details
- Director
- Ross Katz
- Release Date
- 2009-09-21
- Runtime
- 77 min
- Rating
- 7.2 / 10 (253)
Cast
- Kevin Bacon
- Tom Aldredge
- Nicholas Art
- Blanche Baker
- Guy Boyd
- Gordon Clapp
- Emily Wickersham
- Mike Colter
- Enver Gjokaj
- Ann Dowd
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- HBO Max Amazon Channel, HBO Max
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Taking Chance about?
- A career officer escorts a fallen Marine across America and discovers how private grief becomes a nation’s quiet expression of gratitude.
- What is Taking Chance like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Taking Chance as measured, its intensity as moderate and its storytelling as easy to follow.
- Is Taking Chance violent?
- No — Ember's analysis finds no violence in Taking Chance.
- What did critics think of Taking Chance?
- Critics broadly praised the film’s restrained, socially conscious treatment of military remembrance, though some found its procedural approach emotionally thin.
- Which films are like Taking Chance?
- Films with a similar feel include The Messenger, Taking Chance, The Last Full Measure, and In the Valley of Elah.
- How long is Taking Chance?
- Taking Chance runs 77 minutes.
- Where can I watch Taking Chance?
- In United States, Taking Chance streams on HBO Max Amazon Channel, HBO Max.
