Edward Zwick's drama stars Denzel Washington as Lt Col Nathaniel Serling, shuffled into a desk job after a 'friendly fire' incident during the Gulf War. One of his tasks is to investigate the claims of possible medal recipients and he is assigned the case of Captain Karen Walden, a Med-Vac helicopter pilot recommended for a posthumous Medal of Honor. But as he questions those involved, including Specialist Ilario and Staff Sergeant John Monfriez, very different pictures of the character and actions of Walden emerge in a film that, like Rashomon, uses flashbacks from various viewpoints to reach its dramatic conclusion.