Genres

Visitors Review

paul2001sw-1 2013-06-05 23:29:58

Modern War

Nick Broomfield made his name directing documentary films about his ownfailed attempts to make the films he really wanted to make, a strategythat brought steadily decreasing returns. But recently, he has made apair of outstanding dramatic reconstructions, one about the drownedcockle-pickers in Morecambe Bay, and this film, about an incident inwar-torn Iraq, in which the U.S. marines were accused of cruelty andcover-up. 'Battle for Haditha' has a raw, authentic feel to it; itmakes David Simon's 'Generation Kill' seem stagy and stately incomparison. Both psychologically and politically, it seems spot-on,with believable motivations for its characters and a frank assessmentof the inherent difficulties of the American position. Having notserved in the army, I can't say if this is what modern war is reallylike; but I can believe it. And sadly, I can also believe the film'sunspoken message that the war in Iraq will never truly be won.

2013-06-05 12:28:32

One time and one place

The fact that some veteran marines rate this film very highly and others rate it badly reminds me that in wartime each soldier and each marine experiences a different war. It depends on where you are and when you were there and how you saw things at the time. In war it's usually not so easy to say these are the good guys and those are the bad guys. It's a lot more complicated than that. What happened in Haditha is well documented. Not all soldiers and marines in Iraq have experienced the same thing. It's unfair to blame the film maker for showing us what happened in one place at one time in Iraq. If you want to blame someone, blame the Bush Administration for putting these marines and soldier in harm's way in the first place. If the military is going to tried these men for murder, George Bush should also be tried as an accessory before the fact.

alalistaa 2013-06-01 12:56:16

see selection of his films on 4od

Great little film, interesting to see actions from both sides and theconsequences of their actions. The fact that Nick was previously adocumentary filmmaker is evident in the "keep it real" style of thefilm which doesn't pick sides and shows the eye for an eye war that itis based on, however i actually think that it is better than the 20-30years of Broomfield's documentary film making that i have seen a sampleof. For those interested in seeing this and a sample of some of Nicksbest work including the other one of his feature films, which is alsogreat, Ghosts, see 4od where about 10 of his films can be seen totallyfree. Thats what i did.

Micho 2013-05-31 18:01:51

Total BS

The unit that replaced me in Haditha is the one this story is about,3/1. This movie along with crap the media and hollywood feed you is bull. If you think this is the way it went down, we have bigger problems than we even can imagine.

2013-05-28 04:47:44

Poor representation

I watched this movie and it is becoming part of the twisted view of Iraq genre of movies. I did 4 tours of Iraq in various places in various years. The 2004-05 season seems to be the worst for combat and casualties. This movies might be the My Lai massacre of this war. The Marines do a 6 month tour and are frequently w/o the amenities of the age for support. I can't believe that an E4 is given so much resonsibility and leeway to operate. He is obviously under strain and is let loose then the coverup and sacrifice begins. It is ironic that the military wants crazy killers, violent and willing to sacrifice and are pushed thru very violent needed training, honed to a dangerous edge for which many are not mature enough to control. Then the let them loose w/ lots of firepower and expect them to trun it off like a light switch. This is something I have seen time and again in 32 years of active service. We want them fired up and then when the get out of control, we punish them! This movie was very sensationalized and unrealistic. Even the Marines don't leave the leaders in a protected bunker, doing the radio controlled commanding @ low levels. When you train soldiers to be violent they are and not always when you desire it. Bayonet training, combatives, hand to hand training coupled w/ weak immature egos lead to disasters like Haditha and collateral damage deaths of those who just get in the way and are victims not enemies.

Dan 2013-05-27 08:21:12

An F equls an A

If you rate a movie an F and state you dislike it, and then write a 100 word essay on it...That means you got it...the movie should be rated higher. I was overseas when we had conflicts, a lot was not reported. When they were shooting up the town I found myself cheering and saw myself shooting everybody. I was cheering like I was watching the Super Bowl. Hoorah!!

Grann-Bach 2013-05-20 14:48:16

Eyes open

In the Fall of 2005, in the village of Haditha, a roadside bomb wasused to attack a Humvee and started a chain reaction leading to overtwo dozen deaths, most of them of Iraqi citizens(and few of them hadanything to do with the explosive). That description only provides asuperficial idea of what happened, which is why the 85 minute runningtime(sans credits) of this is devoted to showing all sides of, andproperly explore, what went on. This doesn't judge anyone, it showswhat happened(and the undisputed facts are followed quite closely,research it if you are unaware). We follow the Marine unit involved, afamily celebrating a male circumcision, a young couple in love and theinsurgents who buried the IED. The camera-work is not only hand-held,but truly evocative of documentaries(which makes sense, given thedirector and the intent; this is less a "dramatization" and more a"re-enactment"), and puts you right there in the thick of it all(with afew shots that are simply brilliant; one sequence has someone hidingunder a bed when the room is "cleared", and it is shown through POV).This is incredibly absorbing, and unless you go into it with your mindmade up and sockets clammed shut(yes, my Summary has a double meaning),you are affected by it. Not because it's manipulative, and it certainlyis not propaganda. It isn't pushing any agenda, it's shining a light ona complex issue. This is not pro- or anti-US or terrorism. It's showingthat there are human beings, with emotions and history, everywhere inthis conflict. It doesn't downplay Al-Quaeda and doesn't glorify thesoldiers. The acting is incredible(no exceptions). Ruiz is especiallystunning. The focus on improvised dialog(always in the language itshould be, with the non-English subtitled), and personal experiencesused(several of the main cast have had military careers, some even inthe country where this took place) help add to the great level ofauthenticity. It comes off as natural, unrehearsed(in the good way),real. You really feel the tragedy, without it feeling like emotionalporn. The tension is effective. This has a fitting pace, graduallybuilding up to the climax of the situation that we already know theoutcome of(from the Times article, for one), and establishing truths,comfortable as well as not, along the way. There is a moderate amountof deeply disturbing, violent and bloody content in this. I recommendthis to everyone mature enough to handle it. 8/10

Michael O'Keefe 2013-05-20 04:47:49

War is not casual...but has its casualties.

Cultures collide in this dramatization by Nick Broomfield. The focus ison the events leading up to the massacre of 24 Iraqi men, women andchildren by American Marines. After two Iraqi men plant a roadsidebomb, a Marine convoy speeds across the desert and reaching Haditha aHumvee is destroyed by the buried IED, ending in the death of a popularofficer. November 19th 2005 is no longer an ordinary day of routines. Aviolent house to house search in vengeance ends with brutal and deadlyretaliation. So are the ways of a war that rages and the unheard criesof innocence are degraded to collateral. Some will find the inaccuracies blatant. But two nations of people arehorribly locked into a war that plods along. Not taking any humanrespect away from the Marines of Kilo Company or the Iraqi thatclashed...a tale of war has two points of view. This film is just howMr. Broomfield sees it and deserves your attention.Cast members include: Elliot Ruiz, Nathan De La Cruz, Vernon Gaines,Antonio Tostado, Duriad A. Ghaieb, Yasmine Hanani, Oliver Brytus andAndrew McClaren.

semperfubarsk-232-791868 2013-05-10 04:14:44

Good if taken for what it is worth

After reading through some of the reviews I felt I had to chime in,though I am sure almost no one will read this. Before I give myobservations on the movie itself I would just like to point out thatmany who stated this movie was an accurate portrayal clearly has noexperience or expertise that would qualify them to make the statement.Something I hope people keep in mind when reading other reviews. As aMarine who actually served in Haditha as well as many other locations,reading many of the reviews sickened me because it shows how littlepeople actually understand, just as I usually wear a long sleeved shirtbecause my USMC tattoo brings on questions, praise, or derision fromthe clueless masses who for some reason believe they have some insightto any reality outside their own convenient world.That said, I feel this movie is much better then most. The film clearlyhad an agenda and bias, and completely off the mark in terms ofrepresenting military tactics, equipment, etc... that is pretty muchstandard for any movie. I appreciated how the movie wasn't overlydramatic when showing issues faced by and actions of the variousparties. One thing I wish the movie did take in to account is bulletspass through those walls like paper. I would wager that a large numberof civilians were killed simply during an exchange of fire between theMarines, fighters, and then civilians who may have just seen a lovedone fall. I have seen this happen often and I hope one day that realityis brought to light rather then showing young Marines on a blindrampage. However, no one knows exactly what happened except those whowere there, and even that "reality or truth" depends on the perspectiveand state of mind of the observer. Another positive is how the movie doesn't really show any right orwrong, good or bad, that things just are and "sh!t happens". Ifanything, I do think that is the true agenda of the movie even if therewas a bias in its portrayal. Also, I appreciated the use of Iraqidialect of Arabic instead of modern standard, Egyptian, Syrian, etc.Another accuracy plus was how close the town/city looked compared tocities of the region. Though clearly not Haditha, I have not seen anymovie closer to the truth in that regard.On a personal note, I think many of the comments made by Cpl Ramirezwere spot on if a bit staged. I am not going to comment on anyparticular comment because you either understand or you don't. Also,and I know this is a bit of a stretch, but I refuse to give credibilityto any one who may seek to either attack or defend (verbally) our warfighters because context is everything and the most people don't haveor understand the context.I recommend this movie to anyone who is able to take if for what it isworth by dropping the expectation of realism while not adding meaningwhere there is not. Also, I hope people realize that no matter how manyactual Marine veterans or Iraqi's (most westernized), the film is aproduct of the film maker and subject to their interpretation. I onlywish I could have had my say about the movie sooner, if only to plantthe seed that people should take this movie, and the other reviewsincluding mine, with a grain of salt.

ashawat 2013-05-09 11:37:50

civilian population prepared to die defending its home turf

All the talk about the film not objective, one sided, Un-American,cowardly insurgence, causing hurt to honorable solders doing their duty…etc, may be justifiable but immaterial. The fact of the matter is theUS government launched an unjust war based on falsehood that destroyeda sovereign nation by brute force. The US army in Iraq is an occupationforce that is justifiably being resisted by nationalist Iraqipopulation by all means at their disposal. Critics of the film may havea point however; they are justified to get mad because the filmportrays the marines as killers of women and children. But their angershould be directed toward the US government that put the US Armyagainst a determined resisting civilian population prepared to diedefending its home turf. Any nationalist with any iota of pride woulddo the same. Read the history of the American war of independence.

avakian1 2013-04-29 19:19:37

Very skillful exploration of the Iraq war

I just saw this movie and found it very moving. I have spent some timewith Iraq veterans and I feel this movie did a very accurate jobportraying what they went through.I think it's important to point out that 12 of the actors, includingRuiz, who plays Corporal Ramirez, are themselves Iraq veterans. Hereare some quotes from Ramirez: "I was 17 when I was sent to Iraq, duringthe initial invasion. We pushed all the way up to Tikrit and I ended upbeing wounded, I almost lost my life. It's crazy, people don't know thetype of things that we go through. That's what I like about the film,it shows that." The concept of taking Iraq refugees and ex-marines tomake a movie with no script is brilliant. I felt the improvisation fromthese actors was likely better and more realistic than anythingprofessional actors could have pulled off. I was also impressed withthe production values, especially since no US funds were available fora fair and honest portrayal of such events.

tubby1 2013-04-29 04:07:15

War - What is it good for?

The film depicting the controversial circumstances surrounding thedeath of twenty-four Iraqis and one US Marine at Haditha is expertlymanaged by Broomfield.The film gives a fair reflection of both the US Marines and the Iraqiswithout ever being too one sided. The documentary feel gives thepicture a real sense of realism and it does not hit one false note asit leads up to the harrowing events.In essence the film is a microcosm of Iraq today. It is a strong pieceof movie-making, it conveys the deep insecurities of the Iraqis and thelack of support of the US authorities to its troops on the ground. Forme the lack of closure come the end epitomises the fear that there willnever be a resolution.

insomnia 2013-04-26 22:03:21

A story that needed to be told

It's almost impossible to be totally objective regarding a subjectabout which one is truly passionate. The war in Iraq is a subject thatdivides people like no other in recent times. As with any conflict, thewar in Iraq has its supporters and its detractors. There is no middleground. There are no grey areas: everything is just black or white.Either you believe it's a justifiable war, or you don't. This brings meto Nick Broomfield's new film, "The Battle For Haditha". The subject ofthe film is controversial as it deals with an incident in the city ofHaditha, allegedly involving the US Marines. Broomfield uses actors,some of whom are former US Marines and Iraq veterans, as well as Iraqirefugees, to fashion a film that successfully straddles the gap betweena regular documentary and a straightforward feature film. The filmencompasses three points of view: those of the Marines, the insurgents,and the families who lived near where the roadside bomb detonated. Thisfilm is a fictionalised account of what actually happened at Haditha.It shows quite graphically, the horrors of war and what the Americansas well as innocent Iraqis have to go through almost on a daily basis.There are deaths on both sides, but it's Iraqi civilians who are caughtin the crossfire and who have to bear the brunt of dealing with men whohave been stretched to breaking point. The film in no way condones theactions of either the insurgents or the Marines. It just shows theaudience what might have occurred on that fateful day, and it's forthose in the audience to make up their own minds as to who was in theright and who was in the wrong. When reading some of the commentsposted on the message board for this film, I find it somewhat puzzlingthat some contributors write that "Battle For Haditha" isanti-American. Just because the US Marines are shown in a less thansympathetic light in this film, does not mean the film is on the sideof the insurgents. What the film does demonstrate is how quickly thingscan get out of hand, in a situation such as that in Haditha. By allmeans criticize a film on its merits, or lack of them. Please, though,do not label this film as un-American just because it doesn't fit ablinkered view of the way the world is.

daveyboy6709 2013-04-26 13:55:24

Balanced? Did you people watch the right movie.

The film is speculation treated as fact.While horrible things happened and continue to, to lead the viewer tobelieve this is exactly what happened is simply dishonest.Where was the criticism of the residents?After viewing the film it is obvious the films creator is against theUS rebuilding Iraq, and has offered this film to help inflame thesituation and promote further bloodshed.A true documentary would have at least had real people from all sidesputting their story forward without leading the viewer to the directorspoint of view only. As it stands we are left not knowing anything aboutwhat may have happened, and belittles the fact that people were killed.

2013-04-24 22:55:56

Complete anti American and anti Marine Corps garbage

I rented this movie recently, since I am interested in military history. It was very very painful to watch. After I finishedit, I went to the website where I got to movie, to give the 1 star (too bad you can't award a 0 star) it deserves. Most of the reviews I have seen there were 1 star (which is surprising, since I think the overall average for movies is between 3 and 4 stars). Imagine how bad it is if so many people gave it 1 star. In this movie, the marines are portrayed as cold blooded criminals, while the mujahedeen terrorists are portrayed as Iraqi patriots. I also found out that the allegations against the marines wore thrown out, so the movie is just another anti-American propaganda film. It is completely despicable. Who might like his movie? People who think America is the worst thing that happened to the world (who of course know nothing about communism and life under a dictatorship), left wing activists, people who think John Kerry and John Murtha are honest individuals, people who think Michael Moore is America's leading intellectual, Naom Chomsky and Naomi Klein the best business critics and Marx the greatest economist ever. In one word people who never realized how the world works. I also wonder how the actors agreed to play in this movie. Completely despicable.

Robert J. Maxwell 2013-04-24 13:59:01

Serious Docudrama

Two Iraqi ideologues blow up a Humveee with an IED and rush away tosafety. The Marines retaliate by bashing their way through the nearbyhouses and "shooting everything that moves." A dozen or more innocentsare killed on the spot. The result of the Americans' actions isdutifully filmed by al Qaeda agents and used as recruiting material.The Marine corporal in charge of the engagement is at first applaudedfor his leadership and recommended for promotion and a decoration andthen, when the incident hits the American press, brought up on multiplecharges of murder.It's a tough movie to watch. It's not preachy, although all points ofview are presented, but the harsh irony is a bit much to bear. In manyways the most emblematic scene has an innocent young man running down ahill in the simmering and smoky aftermath of the shoot out. He'ssearching for his wife. But the Marines gun him down from a hundredyards away because, after all, what is an Iraqi man doing running at atime like this? It's at the least suspicious.But then his wife arrives, screaming, and throws herself on the deadbody. Ramirez, who is leading the fire team, approaches her with hisrifle ready and shouts at her to move away from the body. She doesn'tunderstand English and he speaks no Arabic. The wife finally flingsherself at Ramirez and begins beating his shoulders and for a moment itseems that she will be killed as well.That seems, to me anyway, to be the message of the film. Murky butpowerful forces can bring together people who simply don't understandeach other and the result is a blood bath.The Marines we meet are brash but sympathetic figures. True, they arekind of dumb, but then many of us are pretty dumb when it comes tosituations like this. One leader calls the insurgents "cowards" becausethey hide among the women and children. The men may or may not know whythey are in Iraq but it's not their job to know. Their job is to definethe enemy and kill him.Complications arise when the "enemy" blends insensibly into the"innocent civilians." A woman or an adolescent child can carry a rifleor an explosive as easily as a fully grown man.Disregarding values and ideology, that problem is common to all armiesof occupation. The Germans had similar problems in occupied countrieslike France, Yugoslavia, and Greece. And, like the Marines in Iraq, theinsurgents were a disparate group drawn from different ideologies, somemore extreme than others. The core of the Greek resistance, forexample, wasn't al Qaeda -- it was the communists. And, as in Iraq,resistance from extremists was met with retaliation against ordinarycitizens by the Germans.This isn't an expensive epic of a movie. It's not "Blackhawk Down" oranything. The production values are lower than that. And I understandit doesn't stick to historical fact. Some of the acting is weak and thedialog contrived. I don't believe any U. S. Marine has ever said, "I'llbe haunted by this guilt for the rest of my life." The story isn'teasily described as "sad" despite the numerous murders. "Tragic" is abetter descriptive. The "bad guys" here aren't so much the Marines, orthe active insurgents for that matter. It's the configuration of valuesand political decisions that have brought these two forces together ina state of conflict.

2013-04-18 00:08:50

This is an ANTI-MILITARY movie!

As a former Marine who lead patrols in Iraq I can say that this is the worst portrayal of Marines I have EVER seen. Almost every second of this movie makes me sick. Marines DO NOT conduct themselves in this manner AT ALL. Do not think for a second that the United States Marine Corps would put up with a single Marine acting in this manner much less an entire unit.If you are an Anti-American, Anti-Military, propagandist than this movie is for you. It is obvious that this piece of dirt was made by that kind of person.*******THIS IS A FICTIONAL MOVIE THAT IS WAY OVER DRAMATIZING AN UNFORTUNATE EVENT******* do not for a single second think that the FINEST men and women of these United States conduct them selves this way.

2013-04-17 21:21:32

Chilling

This review is from: Battle For Haditha (DVD) Battle for Haditha is a chilling war movie that views the story from three perspectives; each more upsetting, You will come away feeling empathy for all involved. A must see.

2013-04-17 15:25:03

AMATEUR PROPAGANDA!

Best to keep it direct and succinct. It's not enough that the film is blatant, obvious anti-American propaganda, but it is primarily a lousy movie.To have the blurb on the DVD cover, "There will be no better film about war", is a slap in the face of real filmmakers like Steven Spielberg Saving Private Ryan (Widescreen Two-Disc Special Edition) and Schindler's List (Widescreen Edition) , and Stanley Kubrick Paths of Glory and Full Metal Jacket.This Nick Broomfield - whoever he is - is a rank amateur not fit to hold a real filmmaker's camera.

2013-04-17 01:22:33

dont waste your time or money!!!!

This review is from: Battle For Haditha (DVD) This movie was terrible from start to finish. The actors were idiots and spoke like they were strait off the streets of harlem. who ever made this movie should be shot.