All wars eventually end, but for their participants struggle for sanity, health and survival can last much longer, often impeded but the lack of care by countries and governments they fought for. This dark subject serves as basis for the plot of Article 99, 1992 drama by Howard Deutch.
The plot begins when Pat Travis (played by Troy Evans), old man who fought in Korean War, goes to Veterans Affairs hospital hoping to arrange for a heart surgery. At the same time young doctor Peter Morgan (played by Kiefer Sutherland) starts working there as an intern, presumably to in order to prepare for more lucrative private practice. Both men immediately discover abysmal bureaucratic quagmire in the hospital, characterised by absurd regulations like “Article 99” which states that veterans aren’t eligible for benefits if their illness or injury isn’t war related. Travis suffers heart attack and is saved only by skill and dedication by Dr. Peter Sturgiss (played by Ray Liotta), rebellious surgeon who cares more about patients than about the rules. Sturgiss and his colleagues have developed whole system of shuffling patients through various wards in order to prevent them being released and thus denied their service. Norman is at first baffled by Sturgiss’ attitude, but after befriending elderly WW2 veteran Sam Abrams (played by Eli Wallach) begins to see validity of his views. In the meantime, hospital’s penny-pinching administrator Dr. Henry Dreyfoos (played by John Mahoney) sees Sturgiss and his antiques as challenge to his authority and is willing to get rid of him by any means available.
It can be said that Deutch and his scriptwriter Ron Cutler had their hearts in right place. They desperately try to convey the message how the budget cutbacks characteristic for Reagan’s era undermined the general state of public services in America, even for veterans of wars America owed its decades of prosperity and global hegemony. Probably because of the message that catered to Hollywood’s left-wing beliefs, Article 99 has gathered quite an impressive ensemble cast with many of its members doing good work despite one-dimensional and underwritten roles. Unfortunately, Deutch had the fatal mistake of trying to turn Article 99 into remake of MASH, Robert Altman’s similarly-themed comedy (with Kiefer Sutherland in a way inheriting the role his father Donald has played in 1970 film). Differences that occurred in two decades between those films weren’t taken into account – unlike Altman’s film, which takes place in wartime Korea (as an obvious allegory for still-ongoing and unpopular Vietnam War), Deutch’s film is set in contemporary America which was about to start enjoying the End of History and its peacetime dividend. The audience was getting increasingly tired of Vietnam themes (represented by anti-establishment veterans, including their unofficial leader played by Keith David) and Article 99 flopped. But the main failure of the film is conceptual. Deutch, who made his name in light-hearted teen comedies, believed that, like Altman, he could deal with serious and often dark subjects in similarly humorous fashion. However, all he and Cutler did was to inject some lame jokes into the film that aren’t actually funny and that soon become quite repetitive. Same goes for obligatory romantic subplots involving Norman and Dr. Robin Van Dorn (played by bespectacled Lea Thompson) and Sturgiss and psychiatrist Dr. Diana Walton (played by Kathy Baker); this content, especially when featuring young attractive actors playing doctors, make Article 99 look less like a feature film and more like failed sitcom or soap opera. Attempts to inject pathos with Danny Elfman’s score make the impression of this film even worse. Lacking the idea how to give the film the proper closure, authors finish with spectacular protest siege that would predictably end with heroes being awarded and villains punished. Only the semi-ironic twist near the end credits suggests that Article 99 isn’t just another Hollywood fairytale, but by that time it is too late for this film to have some serious impact for the audience.
RATING: 3/10 (+)
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