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Special Features
- Audio commentary with director Nick Broomfield and actor Elliot Ruiz
- The making of Battle for Haditha
- A soldier’s story: In conversation with Eric Mehalacopoulos
- In the Line of Duty: An interview with Elliot Ruiz
- Casting tapes: Andrew McClaren, Elliot Ruiz
Editorial Reviews
Battle For Haditha -
November 19th 2005, Haditha, Iraq
Iraqi insurgents bomb a convoy of US Marines, resulting in the death of their
most popular officer. Enraged by this loss, his young Marine buddies carry out a
brutal retaliation. Their violent house-searches lead to the massacre of 24
people, many of whom are women and children - tragic casualties of a war they
cannot control.
The Marines too are victims, attacked, wounded, and forced to respond in the
way they have been trained. But when events occur at great speed and under
extreme stress, can Marines in the line of fire is accused of murder?
Directed, produced, and written by
Nick Broomfield (Ghosts, Aileen: Life and Death of a Serial Killer). The film stars
ex-marines Elliot Ruiz, Andrew McLaren, and Eric Mehalacopoulos, and was
filmed entirely on location in Jerash, Jordan.
November 19th 2005, Haditha, Iraq
Iraqi insurgents bomb a convoy of US Marines, resulting in the death of their
most popular officer. Enraged by this loss, his young Marine buddies carry out a
brutal retaliation. Their violent house-searches lead to the massacre of 24
people, many of whom are women and children - tragic casualties of a war they
cannot control.
The Marines too are victims, attacked, wounded, and forced to respond in the
way they have been trained. But when events occur at great speed and under
extreme stress, can Marines in the line of fire is accused of murder?
Directed, produced, and written by
Nick Broomfield (Ghosts, Aileen: Life and Death of a Serial Killer). The film stars
ex-marines Elliot Ruiz, Andrew McLaren, and Eric Mehalacopoulos, and was
filmed entirely on location in Jerash, Jordan.
This product is manufactured on demand using DVD-R recordable media. Amazon.com's standard return policy will apply.
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
46 of 52 people found the following review helpful
By Justin
Format:DVD
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.
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.
12 of 15 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
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.
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.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
By Rob
Format:Amazon Instant Video
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
Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
One bad apple...tragic!
This story is tragic as well as descriptive of the terrible pressures war places on young men & women. Read more
Published 5 days ago by Susan
4.0 out of 5 stars
I remember when this story hit the news
The movie is about psycho Gi who slaughters a bunch of civilians. I think they all got off easy for it, too.
Published 5 months ago by Luckyone
1.0 out of 5 stars
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. Read more
Published 7 months ago by Roy Brubaker
1.0 out of 5 stars
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. Read more
Published 12 months ago by brad
5.0 out of 5 stars
There are no winners in war.
One of the best war movies I have ever seen. And you're going to hate it.
You are going to hate it because it's so real. You don't even realize you are watching a movie. Read more
You are going to hate it because it's so real. You don't even realize you are watching a movie. Read more
Published 16 months ago by California Couple
1.0 out of 5 stars
Just more Hollywood Propoganda
Ok we get it, Hollywood hates the military and the Iraqi war. This lame attempt at telling the "true" story of "real" events is predictable and oh so tiring. Read more
Published 18 months ago by Daniel
1.0 out of 5 stars
dont waste your time or money!!!!
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.
Published on May 8, 2011 by Medina
1.0 out of 5 stars
it never happened!
Sure there are some bad stuff going on in war. FOr instance the taliban cuts the heads of it's captives. It's a death sentence to get captured by the insurgents in iraq too. Read more
Published on May 2, 2011 by Michael Dobey
5.0 out of 5 stars
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. Read more
Published on April 26, 2011 by Jeffrey Stewart
4.0 out of 5 stars
This Generations Apocolypse Now
Based on a true story, The Battle For Haditha follows the events that transpired in Al Anbar province on the 19th November 2005. Read more
Published on January 19, 2011 by J. Bardwell
