Battle for Haditha (film)
Encyclopedia
Battle for Haditha is a 2007 drama film
directed by British director Nick Broomfield
loosely based on the Haditha killings
. Dramatising real events using a documentary style, Battle for Haditha is Broomfield's follow up to Ghosts
. The film was aired on Channel 4 in the UK on 17 March 2008.
in the Iraq War. On 19 November 2005, 24 Iraqi men, women and children were killed in Haditha
, a city in the western Iraq province of Al Anbar. At least 15 of those killed were noncombatant civilians. All are alleged to have been killed by a group of United States Marines
. Since the release of the film, however, charges have been dropped (for lack of evidence) against all the Marines involved, except for Sgt Wuterich, who was the Marine in charge on the ground on that day. The names of the involved parties have been changed in the film.
, the film uses former U.S. Military personnel and Iraqi refugee
s to play many of the roles. However, the film was shot in an unconventional way - it was shot sequentially enabling the cast to build their characters as the story progressed. It also used real locations, and a very small documentary style film crew. This greatly added to the feeling of reality. Actors, while working from a detailed script, and the final form of the film reflects that structure, were also able to improvise and add to the dialogue, making it their own.
as Cpl. Ramirez, a Marine who loses his composure after watching a friend die, Jase Willette as Pfc. Cuthbert, the young Marine whose death sets off the chain of events, Yasmine Hanani
as Hiba, a young Iraqi woman stuck in the middle of the chaos, Eric Mehalacopoulos as the no-nonsense Sgt. Ross, Falah Flayla as a former Iraqi Army
officer turned insurgent, and Thomas Hennessy
as a Navy corpsman assigned to Kilo company.
on 11 September 2007. Director Nick Broomfield won the Silver Shell award for Best Director at the San Sebastian Film Festival
on 29 September 2007. It was also presented at the London Film Festival
on 30 October 2007.
reported that 63% of critics gave the film positive reviews, based on 26 reviews. Metacritic
reported the film had an average score of 62 out of 100, based on 10 reviews.
Drama film
A drama film is a film genre that depends mostly on in-depth development of realistic characters dealing with emotional themes. Dramatic themes such as alcoholism, drug addiction, infidelity, moral dilemmas, racial prejudice, religious intolerance, poverty, class divisions, violence against women...
directed by British director Nick Broomfield
Nick Broomfield
Nicholas "Nick" Broomfield is an English documentary film-maker. He is the son of Maurice Broomfield, a photographer.Broomfield works with a minimal crew, recording sound himself and using one or two camera operators...
loosely based on the Haditha killings
Haditha killings
The Haditha killings refers to the incident where 24 Iraqi men, women and children were killed by a group of United States Marines on November 19, 2005 in Haditha, a city in the western Iraqi province of Al Anbar. At least 15 of those killed were civilians...
. Dramatising real events using a documentary style, Battle for Haditha is Broomfield's follow up to Ghosts
Ghosts (2006 film)
Ghosts is a 2006 drama film directed by Nick Broomfield, based on the 2004 Morecambe Bay cockling disaster.-Synopsis:The film tells the story of Ai Qin, an illegal Chinese immigrant to the UK. She is at home in Fuzhou, China, where there is no work except badly paid agricultural labour, and even...
. The film was aired on Channel 4 in the UK on 17 March 2008.
Plot
The film is inspired by an incident that occurred three months after the Battle of HadithaBattle of Haditha
Not to be confused with the 2007 film Battle for Haditha which portrays the Haditha killings.The Battle of Haditha was a battle fought between U.S...
in the Iraq War. On 19 November 2005, 24 Iraqi men, women and children were killed in Haditha
Haditha
Haditha is a city in the western Iraqi Al Anbar Governorate, about 240 km northwest of Baghdad. It is a farming town situated on the Euphrates River at . Its population of around 100,000 people is predominantly Sunni Muslim Arabs...
, a city in the western Iraq province of Al Anbar. At least 15 of those killed were noncombatant civilians. All are alleged to have been killed by a group of United States Marines
United States Marine Corps
The United States Marine Corps is a branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for providing power projection from the sea, using the mobility of the United States Navy to deliver combined-arms task forces rapidly. It is one of seven uniformed services of the United States...
. Since the release of the film, however, charges have been dropped (for lack of evidence) against all the Marines involved, except for Sgt Wuterich, who was the Marine in charge on the ground on that day. The names of the involved parties have been changed in the film.
Production
Shot on location in Jerash, JordanJordan
Jordan , officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan , Al-Mamlaka al-Urduniyya al-Hashemiyya) is a kingdom on the East Bank of the River Jordan. The country borders Saudi Arabia to the east and south-east, Iraq to the north-east, Syria to the north and the West Bank and Israel to the west, sharing...
, the film uses former U.S. Military personnel and Iraqi refugee
Refugee
A refugee is a person who outside her country of origin or habitual residence because she has suffered persecution on account of race, religion, nationality, political opinion, or because she is a member of a persecuted 'social group'. Such a person may be referred to as an 'asylum seeker' until...
s to play many of the roles. However, the film was shot in an unconventional way - it was shot sequentially enabling the cast to build their characters as the story progressed. It also used real locations, and a very small documentary style film crew. This greatly added to the feeling of reality. Actors, while working from a detailed script, and the final form of the film reflects that structure, were also able to improvise and add to the dialogue, making it their own.
Cast
The film features Elliot RuizElliot Ruiz
Elliot Ruiz is an American film actor and a former United States Marine.Ruiz was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He graduated from Thomas A. Edison High School in 2002. Ruiz joined the US Marine Corps when he was 17 years old, and with six months into his service he was sent to Iraq – as the...
as Cpl. Ramirez, a Marine who loses his composure after watching a friend die, Jase Willette as Pfc. Cuthbert, the young Marine whose death sets off the chain of events, Yasmine Hanani
Yasmine Hanani
Yasmine Hanani is an American actress.Hanani was born in Baltimore and grew up in Southfield, Michigan and later in Orange County, Southern California. Hanani has worked on documentaries "Voices of Iraq,". "My Country, My Country" and "The Blood of My Brother"...
as Hiba, a young Iraqi woman stuck in the middle of the chaos, Eric Mehalacopoulos as the no-nonsense Sgt. Ross, Falah Flayla as a former Iraqi Army
Iraqi Army
The Iraqi Army is the land component of the Iraqi military, active in various forms since being formed by the British during their mandate over the country after World War I....
officer turned insurgent, and Thomas Hennessy
Thomas Hennessy
Thomas Hennessy was an Irish Cumann na nGaedheal party politician and medical practitioner.He was first elected to Dáil Éireann in a by-election on 11 March 1925 in the Dublin South constituency, after the resignation of the Cumann na nGaedheal Teachta Dála Daniel McCarthy.He did not contest the...
as a Navy corpsman assigned to Kilo company.
Film festivals
Battle for Haditha was presented at the Toronto Film FestivalToronto International Film Festival
The Toronto International Film Festival is a publicly-attended film festival held each September in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. In 2010, 339 films from 59 countries were screened at 32 screens in downtown Toronto venues...
on 11 September 2007. Director Nick Broomfield won the Silver Shell award for Best Director at the San Sebastian Film Festival
San Sebastián International Film Festival
The San Sebastián International Film Festival is an annual FIAPF A category film festival held in the Spanish city of San Sebastián .-History:The festival was founded in 1953...
on 29 September 2007. It was also presented at the London Film Festival
London Film Festival
The BFI London Film Festival is the UK's largest public film event, screening more than 300 features, documentaries and shorts from almost 50 countries. The festival, , currently in its 54th year, is run every year in the second half of October under the umbrella of the British Film Institute...
on 30 October 2007.
Critical reception
As of May 2008, the review aggregator Rotten TomatoesRotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is a website devoted to reviews, information, and news of films—widely known as a film review aggregator. Its name derives from the cliché of audiences throwing tomatoes and other vegetables at a poor stage performance...
reported that 63% of critics gave the film positive reviews, based on 26 reviews. Metacritic
Metacritic
Metacritic.com is a website that collates reviews of music albums, games, movies, TV shows and DVDs. For each product, a numerical score from each review is obtained and the total is averaged. An excerpt of each review is provided along with a hyperlink to the source. Three colour codes of Green,...
reported the film had an average score of 62 out of 100, based on 10 reviews.
External links
- Official website
- Defend Our Marines interview with Elliot Ruiz