Director sparks interest with film about war in Iraq

08:06 PM CST on Saturday, January 3, 2009


By Boo Allen / Film Critic


This week, we start in Iraq:


Battle for Haditha (***) Despite an American public that has mostly ignored Iraq war movies, controversial British director Nick Broomfield does his best to ignite passions with this tense docudrama about the still-disputed events that took place in Haditha, Iraq, in November 2005.

Filmed in Jordan using non-professional actors, including ex-Marines taking the roles of the actual soldiers involved, the film presents a dramatized rendition of the events in question.

When an I.E.D. explodes, killing a Marine and wounding several others, Americans retaliate by killing 24 nearby Iraqis, including women and children. The Marines assert self-defense, and the Iraqis claim a mass slaughter. As he has done throughout his career, Broomfield exploits the situation for his latest provocative work.

The DVD contains a comprehensive 51-minute “making of” featurette, with cast and crew interviews, including Broomfield.

The 11-minute “A Soldier’s Story” offers an interview with one of the ex-Marines who appear in the film, similar to a 20-minute interview with Elliott Ruiz, an ex-Marine who plays the pivotal soldier in charge.


Ellie