| | |  | IRAQ | Home » » Battle for Haditha | | | | | | | Description: | | November 19th 2005, Haditha, Iraq. Enraged by the loss of their commander to an insurgent's bomb, a convoy of U.S. Marines brutally massacres 24 Iraqi men, women and children - tragic casualties of a war they cannot control. Nick Broomfield's acclaimed dramatic and moving recreation of this fateful day in 2005 uses real people and real locations and was shot mostly in real time which "immerses us as no other film on Iraq has done in the dust and smoke of warfare" (Observer). | | | Product Details: | | | Actors:
| Matthew Knoll, Elliot Ruiz, Eric Mehalacopoulos, Nathan De La Cruz, Andrew McLaren | | Director:
| Nick Broomfield | | Format:
| Color, Dolby, DVD, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC | | Language:
| English | | Subtitle:
| English, Spanish | | Number of Discs:
| 1 | | Studio:
| Image Entertainment | | Run Time:
| 97 minutes | | DVD Release Date:
| December 30, 2008 | | Average Customer Rating:
|  based on 20 reviews |
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37 of 42 found the following review helpful:
 A powerful filmOct 30, 2008
By Justin
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 Arab world.
So I was really excited when I read that "The Battle of Haditha" was shot in Jordan, which is about as close to Anbar as you can get without crossing the border, and used real Iraqis and former-US military personnel. I also liked that Broomfield let them ad-lib most of their lines, giving them a feel of authenticity that no scriptwriter ever can. Broomfield definitely sets standards that every subsequent Iraq film is going to have to live up to. I also liked the controversial topic - there's a reason counterinsurgencies are called "dirty wars" and the Iraqis definitely do a great job portraying the mixed loyalties and emotions of many Iraqis as they seek to make some sense out of what was - for many Sunnis - an occupation.
Unfortunately, the movie's portrayal of the Marine Corps runs into a brick wall that nearly sinks the whole picture. While I enjoyed Elliot Ruiz's haunted squad leader, none of the other characters looked or sounded like real Marines. In fact, many of them seemed to be acting out popular stereotypes of Marines based on recruiting commercials and "Full Metal Jacket" or "Jarhead", which is almost nothing like what they really are. With the exception of Ruiz, there was almost no character development among the Marines, no explanation of how an infantry unit operates (which is crucial to understanding why the Haditha killings played out the way they did). Broomfield also falls into the trap of using actors in their mid-to-late twenties to portray a bunch of kids fresh out of high school. One of the guys I went to Iraq with was born in 1989 and was 12 years old when 9/11 happened.
Speaking from my experience, the Marines in "The Battle of Haditha" look like a third-rate Iraqi Army unit fresh out of boot camp. They do not know how to: hold their weapons, conduct mounted or dismounted patrols, clear a room, tactically question Iraqis, maintain cover and concealment, return fire, or conduct a squad attack on the enemy. If such things don't concern you, then disregard what I've said, but this is a point of professional pride for me and I really wish Broomfield had been able to get a bunch of real grunts for his actors. When I tried to get my company to watch this as a training film, the other Marines honed right in on this problem and were worried that some of our new-joins would get the wrong impression of how to behave in a combat zone.
Maybe I'm the last person who should be reviewing this - maybe this film was made to explain what Iraq is like to people who have never been there. If that's your opinion, go see it. But it was not made for Iraq veterans. If that's what you want to see, I recommend the HBO "Generation Kill" series or PBS's Frontline: Rules of Engagement, which gets more of the technical details right.
7 of 9 found the following review helpful:
The only Iraq movie worth a damnAug 16, 2008
By John A. Rehfeld
"Don't Ask Me, I'm Just the Medic"
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, feelings, and fears. I would wholeheartedly recommend this film for any civilian who wants to gain a better insight into what the Iraq War actually looks like.
1 of 1 found the following review helpful:
It's easyDec 30, 2011
By Rob
This movie had a good location, the supporting cast was spot on, the feel was close to accurate, The Marines beside from the tactics, speech, execution of orders, and demeanor, was pretty close to accurate. The director did a good job of completely disrespecting , dishonoring and stereotyping the Marine corps These young men who raised their hand, swore an oath, took their bodies and minds to the breaking point, trained, studied and sacrificed everything without expectation of return are shown as ignorant mindless drones who know one thing to kill. If you believe that you are way off. These Marines mostly enlisted straight out of high school are intelligent, precise, highly skilled and dedicated, show a maturity and will very few will achieve in their entire life. These men take great responsibility and excel at any task dropped in their lap. It's easy to sit at a desk completely free of danger and pick apart a report of what happens in combat, I'm not condoning the actions of a few I'm saying when you take men and put them in a oven with poor living conditions, the threat of death, emotional and physical extremes, stress beyond the ability to relax for very long periods of time and forced to make decisions that have consequences for not only you but the brothers you love and would die for. Your emotions shut down, you desensitize to horrific events, and you dehumanize an enemy that is not clearly defined or distinguishable from civilians. Rest all of these things on very young men and then a comrade, your brothers, your family, your closest friend. The men you trust your life to is killed right in front of you... Unless you have been there saw these things and did these things you have no right to judge, condemn or even shake your head at these men. I'm not a marine but I am an OIF veteran who owes his life to a unit of Marines. God bless you
This Generations Apocolypse NowJan 19, 2011
By J. Bardwell
Based on a true story, The Battle For Haditha follows the events that transpired in Al Anbar province on the 19th November 2005. An investigation of the massacre of 24 men, women and children in Haditha, Iraq allegedly shot by 4 U.S. Marines in retaliation for the death of a U.S. Marine killed by a roadside bomb. The movie follows the story of the Marines of Kilo Company, an Iraqi family, and the insurgents who plant the roadside bomb.
From the opening scene it is clear that this is going to be a very ambiguous movie. We join the Marines in what appears to be a home movie, where they describe their feelings for war. The first stating that he is not sure why they are there and that his only goal is to get back home to his family. Contrast that with another Marines tale of being excited about being the `Ultimate hunting experience' and you may very well be looking at this generations version of Apocalypse Now.
The line that separate the traditional sense of good and evil continue to blur throughout the movie and you see how, as an Iraqi citizen, how speaking up can end with your life and that of your families in danger. This point is not lost on me with an early scene showing a dead body in the middle of the road that transpires to be the local English teacher. The man that would later lay the IED shows here he has no love for the insurgents either as Broomfield continues to smudge the lines.
In contrast the Marines are clear on their objectives but even the best trained and best equipped are still only men when everything is stripped down and after the roadside bomb is detonated Cpl Ramirez makes instant miscalls that results in what we now know was to happen.
Nick Broomfield adds to the confusion and destruction by dulling the background noise at various points after the explosion and during the resulting firefight. With this Nick manages to make a film which is not anti Muslim nor is it anti marines. It is just a story of two very different cultures, with two very different sets of procedures, prejudices and misconceptions that set them into those tragic few minutes. Preceding the events conditions in Haditha itself were known to have been deteriorating under militant rule, and attacks on U.S. troops as well as executions of suspected informants were common so the fact, as I said before, that the Iraqis were afraid to inform the Americans of the bomb as well as the Americans being more likely to shoot first and ask questions later are equally understandable.
The Battle For Haditha is a great movie and certainly up there with the other great war movies.
14 of 22 found the following review helpful:
 A gross misrepresentation of the truthOct 07, 2009
By Shannon
Clearly no subject matter expert was consulted in the making of this piece of garbage. Broomfield has NO CLUE about Marine Corps policy or protocol in combat operations. I am truly disgusted with this unreal portrayal of US Marines. Broomfield seems to think that any group of cussing aggressive young men can adequately portray Marines. Reality aside, the direction and dialogue are weak. This malicious propaganda is criminal.
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