Battle for Haditha (2007)

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.

Director:

Nick Broomfield

Writers:

Nick Broomfield, Marc Hoeferlin,

Stars:

Matthew Knoll, Elliot Ruiz, Eric Mehalacopoulos

2 wins.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Matthew Knoll	...	Cpl. Matthews (as Matthew R. Knoll)
Elliot Ruiz	...	Cpl. Ramirez
Eric Mehalacopoulos	...	Sgt. Ross
Nathan De La Cruz	...	Cpl. Marcus
Andrew McLaren	...	Capt. Sampson
Jase Willette	...	Pfc. Cuthbert
Thomas Hennessy	...	Doc (as Thomas Hennessy Jr.)
Tony Spencer	...	Pfc. Roberts
Vernon Gaines	...	Lance Corporal Sosa
Antonio Tostado	...	Lance Corporal Jimenez
Ali Adil Disher	...	Iraqi Translator (as Ali Adil Aj-kaa)
Yasmine Hanani	...	Hiba
Siham Rashid	...	Asma
Majd Hijjawi	...	Woman shot in street
Falah Abraheem Flayeh	...	Ahmad (as Falah Flayeh)

Storyline

In November 2005, US Marines fell into an ambush by Iraqi insurgents and one officer got killed. The reprisals by the the Americans were frightening, resulting in the massacre of 24 people, many of whom women and children. "Battle for Haditha" is the faithful account of this tragic event which scandalized the world.

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Plot Keywords:

marine | roadside bomb | attack | house to house search | circumcision | 

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Taglines:

There are many ways to see the same story

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Genres:

Drama | History | War

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for war violence, disturbing images, and for pervasive language

Details

Official Sites:

Surreal [fr]

Country:

UK

Language:

English Arabic

Release Date:

7 May 2008 (USA)

Also Known As:

Batalha Por Haditha

Filming Locations:

Jerash, Jordan

Box Office

Opening Weekend:

$2,181 (USA) (9 May 2008)

Gross:

$7,098 (USA) (16 May 2008)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Channel Four Films, Film4, HanWay Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

97 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The film was shot entirely on location in Jerash, Jordan, utilizing Iraqi refugees and actual US Military personnel as extras and actors.

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Goofs

Some of the U.S. Marines in the film are seen with Colt Model 727 carbines, although that weapon had long been fully replaced by the M4A1 by the time the film took place (late 2005).

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Connections

References Breaking News (2004)

User Reviews

better than i expected

i personally never heard of Mr. Bloomfield, so i had no real intention of watching this film till i saw it mentioned in the message boards for other films. that said, i must say this was the best in the recent slew of Iraq war films (like Redacted, Home of the Brave, etc.) i half expected it to be like Redacted and was pleasantly surprised to find it much better. i think it really brought out the fact that there are multiple sides to a story, and did so without too much bias. being a Muslim myself i must admit that it seemed a little inclined towards Iraqis, with Marines portrayed as undisciplined and emotionless (though one of the protagonists feels guilt and in reality this incident caused an uproar). there are no A-list actors, which in a sense, actually made the movie better because you almost see the actors as the characters themselves (especially since a lot of the dialog is improvised). i think it was well made, and well thought out. better than expected. i wonder what the US reaction would if/when it has a release there? unlike Moore's work (as stated by another user here) neither party is shown as completely innocent or completely evil. i'm not sure if this is exactly how the incident took place, but if it is, then there is certainly some food for thought in this movie.