Battle For Haditha

A powerful film
Before I begin my review I'm going to give you all my biases up front - I'm a Marine and I served one tour in Anbar Province in 2007 with a rifle company. Many of my seniors served in the Haditha area and told many-a-tale about that awful place. Having gotten that out of the way, I really wanted to like this movie from the get-go. It obviously draws its inspiration from one of my favorite films, the Gillo Pontecorvo classic "The Battle of Algiers - Criterion Collection", where many of the characters (including the screenwriter) were insurgents in the conflict rather than professional actors. I've been pretty disgusted with the Iraq films and TV shows that have come out over the past few years. Shooting in the California desert with a bunch of Mexicans dressed up like Arabs is never going to cut the mustard. Iraq has its own look and feel, and the Iraqis have their own style, even compared to the rest of the...

Shameless propaganda
Classic anti-American, self hating propaganda that gleefully portrays Marines as robotic killing machines. Not terribly surprising given the director's past body of work. This movie belongs in the same class as Michael Moore's files, fiction masquerading as documentary. The actors however, did a magnificent job. Especially noteworthy is the performance of Elliot Ruiz as a troubled Corporal.

The only Iraq movie worth a damn
I am an Army combat veteran of the Iraq War, and this is the only movie about the war that I've been able to stomach for more than thirty minutes. As a veteran, it is tough to watch simply for the closeness of the situation. The actors do a phenomonal job of portraying American troops in a tough situation, and the direction is fantastic. It is a poignant reminder of what we've gone through in Iraq. For me, the most difficult part to watch is the IED strike. Having survived more than one, I will vouch for the frightening realism of it. The sound of the blast, the dust cloud, the lack of a dramatic hollywood fireball. It gave me chills. I could almost feel the concussion from the blast.

If you are interested in watching a movie about the war, this is the only one I would recommend. The way the marines in the film act is a little over the top sometimes (although most marines I've met are a little over-enthusiastic), but overall it is a good representation of our thoughts,...

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