GamerTab That was an excellent one.

Libramedi Intense, gripping, stylish and poignant

Fairaher The film makes a home in your brain and the only cure is to see it again.

Fleur Actress is magnificent and exudes a hypnotic screen presence in this affecting drama.

John Bennett It's unfortunate that so many reviews reflect not the quality, artistry, or technical merits of a film, but rather a visceral reaction based upon preconceptions. The director did a good job re-creating the atmosphere in Iraq using a hand held documentary style of film making. While the dialogue and acting left a lot to be desired, I understand this was a low budget picture so he did admirably with the resources he had. It is an independent film, so you shouldn't expect "Black Hawk Down."Many of the negative reviews simply reflect an aversion to anything perceived as Anti-American. I am a veteran of the Iraq war with two tours of combat duty. I have lost brothers in arms. I have witnessed the suffering of civilians (vast majority at the hands of insurgents). I was close to Al-Anbar Province when this happened. To claim it was all lies is simply lying to yourself. If you cannot distinguish between engaging the enemy and murdering unarmed men, women, and especially children, either your moral compass is way off or you are completely brainwashed, or both. One poster above referred to insurgents as "less than human." It's that kind of thinking that leads to these kind of atrocities. No army on earth is immune to barbarism if there is a breakdown in leadership, especially in an emotional situation like this. It is all too common that civilians will be the victims of collateral damage. That's what makes war so terrible. The reality is that 99% of American servicemen and women conduct themselves honorably. It is to protect that honor, and give some justice to the victims, that these marines should have been dishonorably discharged and sentenced to Ft. Leavenworth.

TBJCSKCNRRQTreviews In the Fall of 2005, in the village of Haditha, a roadside bomb was used to attack a Humvee and started a chain reaction leading to over two dozen deaths, most of them of Iraqi citizens(and few of them had anything to do with the explosive). That description only provides a superficial idea of what happened, which is why the 85 minute running time(sans credits) of this is devoted to showing all sides of, and properly explore, what went on. This doesn't judge anyone, it shows what happened(and the undisputed facts are followed quite closely, research it if you are unaware). We follow the Marine unit involved, a family celebrating a male circumcision, a young couple in love and the insurgents who buried the IED. The camera-work is not only hand-held, but truly evocative of documentaries(which makes sense, given the director 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 a few shots that are simply brilliant; one sequence has someone hiding under 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 mind made up and sockets clammed shut(yes, my Summary has a double meaning), you are affected by it. Not because it's manipulative, and it certainly is not propaganda. It isn't pushing any agenda, it's shining a light on a complex issue. This is not pro- or anti-US or terrorism. It's showing that there are human beings, with emotions and history, everywhere in this conflict. It doesn't downplay Al-Quaeda and doesn't glorify the soldiers. The acting is incredible(no exceptions). Ruiz is especially stunning. The focus on improvised dialog(always in the language it should be, with the non-English subtitled), and personal experiences used(several of the main cast have had military careers, some even in the country where this took place) help add to the great level of authenticity. It comes off as natural, unrehearsed(in the good way), real. You really feel the tragedy, without it feeling like emotional porn. The tension is effective. This has a fitting pace, gradually building up to the climax of the situation that we already know the outcome of(from the Times article, for one), and establishing truths, comfortable as well as not, along the way. There is a moderate amount of deeply disturbing, violent and bloody content in this. I recommend this to everyone mature enough to handle it. 8/10

SDsZ28 While the Iraq War certainly deserves its fair share of scrutiny, and history will surely paint a less than stellar picture of the politics behind the war and those leaders, Republican and Democrat, who led the United States into that war, those who served in it deserve at least the smallest measure of dignity in their portrayal. And filmmakers attempting to portray them owe them a small amount of integrity in their work.Nick Broomfield's film has no such integrity. It misrepresents, lies, and sensationalizes at every turn, creating wholly unrealistic situations, and even making bald faced lies about Marine Corps policies, as well as tactics techniques and procedures (TTPs). The film claims to have used veterans of the United States military, however any of the "actors" used in this film who are prior service should be ashamed for participating.It is the Iraq War critic's dream film: where every preconceived notion of what is wrong with the American occupation is true, every injustice levied against our troops by their own government is true, and every hyper-violent, baby killer, traumatized stereotype of the American fighting man is also true. The film describes an endless series of falsehoods before it even reaches the half way point in its run time. A Marine is told he cannot visit a doctor until after he goes home, and then only on his leave. This has never, ever been true. And while there is often peer pressure or doctrinal conditioning, and even sometimes situational factors that prevents Marines from seeking immediate mental help, none would ever be outright denied that help, let alone told that he could not receive it in theater. The film also shows a man clown up by a UAV for simply walking down the street with a shovel. This is also patently against US Rules of Engagement, and would never happen. Broomfield even chooses to sensationalize it more by showing moments before that the man had the shovel to plant a tree at a celebratory party, making the scene all the more despicable to include in the film. Marines are shown threatening prisoners by claiming to hold their families hostage.If there is even the possibility that the events of November 19th 2005 were an atrocity, it can be said with certainty that this film is one. In his rush to capitalize on, and sensationalize, Nick Broomfield abandoned any pretext of credibility, and any sense of integrity. This film is disgusting. Whether you believe the war in Iraq was merely misguided, or you believe it was an outright lie and detestable, this film serves no purpose as a piece of war criticism. One does not have to lie to shown wrong in war. And Nick Broomfield is a liar. He's lucky that he cannot be sued for libel and slander by the Marine Corps. To refer to his film as a docudrama is a sick joke. There is no "docu" present here at all. A note to filmmakers: Please, by all means explore criticism of the war in Iraq. It is important for future generations that Americans no longer blindly support military action and not get caught up in surges of war hysteria and revenge driven blood lust. But when you do it, do it honestly, or it makes you even bigger liars than those you seek to condemn.

solaris1968 People who live in denial and believe in the fairy tale of US troops bringing "freedom" to backward Iraqis will hate this movie. But what makes this movie particularly valuable, moving, and powerful is that it humanizes all the participants in the war: US troops, insurgents, and civilians caught up in the crossfire. The director made a genuine effort to show the horrors of war without presenting a simplistic black vs. white, "us" vs "them", opposition. All the protagonists are ordinary people, people who may do horrible things, but people in the end. The insurgents who planted the IED feel remorse at what hey did, and the Marines who killed civilians are also haunted by what they did. And both are ultimately manipulated by their superiors, who really don't care about the suffering on the ground. And the message of the movie is also clear: the root of all this horror is an invasion that should not have happened in the first place.