Product Details

• Actors: Patrick Carroll, Rob Devaney, Izzy Diaz, Ty Jones, Anas Wellman
• Directors: Brian De Palma
• Writers: Brian De Palma
• Format: Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, DVD, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC
• Language: English
• Subtitles: Spanish
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rated: R (Restricted)
• Studio: Magnolia
• DVD Release Date: February 19, 2008
• Run Time: 90 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 2.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (39 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B000YDOOSM
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #27,274 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)
• For more information about "Redacted" visit the Internet Movie Database (IMDb)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Brian De Palma’s ferocious Redacted is one of a number of cinematic protests against the Iraq War and the withholding of information and images about the war from the U.S. public. But it is also shares De Palma’s perennial interest in the relationship between film and violence, a relationship that has changed significantly in the real world because of the Internet, cable news, and the ubiquity of camcorders on the ground in Iraq. In a world more intent than ever on watching everything, De Palma has fashioned Redacted to look like a daisy chain of found footage taken from disparate sources. These include an American soldier’s video journal (which, not insignificantly, is also supposed to be that soldier’s audition piece for film school), a French documentary, a security camera at the edge of an army compound, and streaming video online from insurgents and military families alike. Taken together, Redacted recreates the kind of Iraq War scenes we’ve heard about for years: soldiers kidnapped or felled by booby traps, pregnant women and children shot by American guards at military checkpoints because Iraqi drivers misunderstand orders, etc. With mood and setting firmly established, Redacted then tells the story of an atrocity ripped from headlines in 2006: the rape and murder of an Iraqi teen, as well as the murder of her family, by American soldiers who then proceed to cover up their crime. Meanwhile, other soldiers, well-meaning witnesses to what happened, implode with doubt and uncertainty about what to do. In a way, Redacted is really about the paralysis of ordinary Americans confronted by the horror of our collective misjudgment about Iraq. It's a work of fiction using actors, meaning that De Palma employs a verisimilitude which sometimes doesn’t sit well with anyone who has seen a lot of Iraq War documentaries featuring real troops and real Iraqis. But De Palma is trying to do something very difficult, i.e., make the case that in war, truth really is the first casualty. --Tom Keogh

Product Description

A fictional story inspired by true events REDACTED is a unique cinematic experience that will force viewers to radically reconsider the filters through which we see and accept events in our world the power of the mediated image and how presentation and composition influence our ideas and beliefs. A profound meditation on the way information is packaged distributed and received in an era with infinite channels of communication REDACTED utilizes a variety of created source material video diaries produced documentary surveillance footage online testimonials news pieces to comment on the extreme disconnect between the surface of an image and the reality of ideas and the truth especially in times of strife.Centered around a small group of American soldiers stationed at a checkpoint in Iraq REDACTED alternates points of view balancing the experiences of these young men under duress and members of the media with those of the local Iraqi people illuminating how each have been deeply affected by the current conflict and their encounters with each other. The charged apotheosis of Brian De Palma s filmmaking career REDACTED caps off a body of work which has explored the politics of image-making and reception more fully than any living filmmaker.System Requirements:Running Time: 90 minutesFormat: DVD MOVIE Genre: DRAMA/MILITARY & WAR Rating: R UPC: 876964001229 Manufacturer No: 10122

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars DePalma's Awesome Anti-War Statement..., November 27, 2009

By 

R. A. Bean "filmfanatical" (knoxville, tn usa) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Redacted (DVD)

If you have read any of my other reviews, you'll see that I am a very huge fan of Brian DePalma's. I love every film he has ever made! But, don't let that distract from my opinion of this film. It's a film like this that makes me favor his work so much. Yes, there are some very scathing reviews of this film on here (and all over the web), but there are some really glowing one's as well; and, rightly so!
First off, this is NOT a 'war film', but an 'anti-war' film. Yes, Brian had the b*lls to make a statement declaring how awful this whole war mess in Iraq really is. And, the results are magnificent. This is possibly the most powerful piece of anti-war propaganda since Kubrick's "Paths of Glory", and/or DePalma's own "Hi, Mom!". Comparable in plot to his film "Casualties of War", DePalma used the 'raped-girl-murdered-family' theme here to symbolize the whole brutality and senselessness that is war. And, the whole 'raping of a nation' that it encompasses.
This is not just a film to make you feel proud to be an American, but to make you feel glad to celebrate the fact that there is some Human decency still left in some of us. Yes, there are criticisms about the acting in this...Wow, some people just don't have a clue! The acting in this is spot on perfect! It is not a 'Hollywood-piece-of-crap' saturated with such generic quality that makes me wanna barf. This is supposed to come across as reality, and it does!
Brian utilizes film techniques that he hasn't done since the radical days of the 1960's, when he was more of a guerrilla style filmmaker. Forget the 'Hitchcock borrower' style he so often utilizes. Yes, the film is glossy, beautiful to behold, and has magnificent cinematography, but the underlying theme is gritty and very ugly: The Truth!!! He incorporates so many techniques and styles in this, that it is pure dizzying, just like the chaotic world of the h*ll these guys are in. Using You-tube blogs, camcorders, documentary style footage, and straight out powerhouse filmmaking, DePalma has crafted possibly the best film in his entire career.
For all the 'Bill O'Reilley's' of the world, this is not a film for small minded people like you. No, this is a film for us that hate war, detest the violence and brutality and 'rape' that it induces on us, and desire to live in peace, harmony, and love between all of the nations; NOT just one. We are all under God, not just the U.S..
The final montage of photo's is so powerful, it would take a robot not to be moved by the very haunting images on the screen. And, don't even get me started on just how awesome the whole 'bar-coming-home' scene is! This is an emotionally charged film that will leave some people weeping unabashedly, and rightfully so. No shame in that!
One of my favorite scenes is of a girl posting a You-tube blog, stating just how morose and barbaric war and machosism is. Don't let small-minded Bush-loving idiotic people cloud your judgement of this film (for most of them haven't even seen it, and if they did, they just don't understand its wonderful message), for this is such a awesome piece of filmmaking that it received a 15 minute standing ovation at its Venice premiere. The Cannes festival gave it top honors as well. O'Reilley called DePalma "The Devil" (ha-ha-ha) for making this, some have even gone as far as to call him anti-American, but most intelligent critics are declaring (like I am) this to be one of the best anti-war statements in the history of film.
This is not Hollywood, baby...This is a reflection of real life!
Hope this review is helpful to whoever reads it, and hope you enjoy the film! In the meantime, let's just hope that we don't all end up getting 'redacted' on what we want to voice as our opinion, especailly when it comes to this atrocious war (Vietnam Part 2).
Thank you & Peace out! ;-)

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Dramatic fun, October 25, 2011

By 

A. Somers (Las Vegas, NV) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Redacted (DVD)

Had to see what the controversy was with this one, and this is an action film in a documentary style that is fast and will hold your attention.

I had an issue with the depiction of soldiers in the movie. Well, not the soldiers that are in the movie, the ones offscreen. The vast majority of US soldiers are honorably doing an honorable job, with plenty of their enemies constantly trying to provoke them. Those soldiers are not shown in Redacted and there is no reminder whatsoever that the ones shown are an anomaly. That said, the murders depicted did happen and there was no way to dress it up and make the motives of those people look good. There is a rape that happens with the soldier holding a camera, filming it as it happens and the rest of the other soldiers trouncing through the house, and then afterward a local man talking about it, apparently this was a scene that caused some controversy when it was thought to be a real scene when in reality it was filmed using actors and not at all actual footage. The scenes are glossy and beautiful, and there is an underlying theme that is witty, gritty and it has its moments that make you laugh. This is mostly an action film that is not one for you if you want dialogue and lines but very dramatic and and hard to take your eyes off of, it does a wonderful job of revealing what goes on behind the scenes while being entertaining and leaving an impression that is memorable. When I get a chance to check out more films of this genre I am sure I will remember this one as being the best lately. Overall, recommended.

Aryan Somers

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars De Palma's Anti-War Masterpiece..., June 16, 2011

By 

Scott R. Brooks "Author" (knoxville, tn.) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Redacted (DVD)

This is hailed by a LOT of critics as an utter masterpiece that leaves them breathless. I agree. If you have read any of my other reviews, you'll see that I am a very huge fan of Brian De Palma's. I love every film he has ever made! But, don't let that distract from my opinion of this film. It's a film like this that makes me favor his work so much. Yes, there are some very scathing reviews of this film on here (and all over the web), but there are some really glowing one's as well; and, rightly so!

First off, this is NOT a 'war film', but an 'anti-war' film. Yes, Brian had the b*lls to make a statement declaring how awful this whole war mess in Iraq really is. And, the results are magnificent. This is possibly the most powerful piece of anti-war propaganda since Kubrick's "Paths of Glory", and/or De Palma's own "Hi, Mom!". Comparable in plot to his film "Casualties of War", De Palma used the 'raped-girl-murdered-family' theme here to symbolize the whole brutality and senselessness that is war. And, the whole 'raping of a nation' that it encompasses.

This is not just a film to make you feel proud to be an American, but to make you feel glad to celebrate the fact that there is some Human decency still left in some of us. Yes, there are criticisms about the acting in this...Wow, some people just don't have a clue! The acting in this is spot on perfect! It is not a 'Hollywood-piece-of-crap' saturated with such generic quality that makes me wanna barf. This is supposed to come across as reality, and it does! I am still stumped by the fact that this film was considered so 'controversial'.

Brian utilizes film techniques that he hasn't done since the radical days of the 1960's, when he was more of a guerrilla style filmmaker. Forget the 'Hitchcock borrower' style he so often utilizes. Yes, the film is glossy, beautiful to behold, and has magnificent cinematography, but the underlying theme is gritty and very ugly: The Truth!!! He incorporates so many techniques and styles in this, that it is pure dizzying, just like the chaotic world of the h*ll these guys are in. Using You-tube blogs, camcorders, documentary style footage, and straight out powerhouse filmmaking, De Palma has crafted possibly the best film in his entire career.

For all the 'Bill O'Reilley's' of the world, this is not a film for small minded people like you. No, this is a film for us that hate war, detest the violence and brutality and 'rape' that it induces on us, and desire to live in peace, harmony, and love between all of the nations; NOT just one. We are all under God, not just the U.S.. Yes, we do need to start a tsunami of Truth, and my man De Palma has tried to instigate just that with this brilliant film.

The final montage of photo's is so powerful, it would take a robot not to be moved by the very haunting images on the screen. And, don't even get me started on just how awesome the whole 'bar-coming-home' scene is! This is an emotionally charged film that will leave some people weeping unabashedly, and rightfully so. No shame in that!

One of my favorite scenes is of a girl posting a You-tube blog, stating just how morose and barbaric war and machochism is. Don't let small-minded Bush-loving idiotic people cloud your judgement of this film (for most of them haven't even seen it, and if they did, they just don't understand its wonderful message), for this is such a awesome piece of filmmaking that it received a 15 minute standing ovation at its Venice premiere. The Cannes festival gave it top honors as well.

Too bad more anti-war films don't have the same kind of distinctive style and voice as "Redacted". O'Reilley called De Palma "The Devil" (ha-ha-ha) for making this, some have even gone as far as to call him anti-American, but most intelligent critics are declaring (like I am) this to be one of the best anti-war statements in the history of film. O'Reilley and the whole Factor should be treated as an Enemy of the People.

This is not Hollywood, baby...This is a reflection of real life!

Hope this review is helpful to whoever reads it, and hope you enjoy the film! In the meantime, let's just hope that we don't all end up getting 'redacted' on what we want to voice as our opinion, especially when it comes to this atrocious war (Vietnam Part 2).
Thank you & Peace out! ;-)