Posted on 11/17/2007 1:27:54 AM PST by nunya bidness
Lenin said, “For us the most important of all arts is the cinema,” and it would appear that decades later he has a devotee in Brian De Palma who made his mark by mimicking Hitchcock in most of his movies but tipped his creative hand and deep-seated ideology in Casualties Of War, a movie about the rape and execution civilian Vietnamese in the Viet Nam war. Redacted is a sloppy reboot of that ham-fisted narrative updated with a cutting edge feel but with all the attendant misguided intensity and sloganeering.
The story is based on the Al-Mahmudiyah incident of March, 2006 in which renegade and criminal soldiers from the 502nd Infantry Regiment raided the home of Iraqi civilians and raped a 15 year old girl, executed her family, and then burned her body. The format is much like The Blair Witch Project where handheld video cameras record the action in a quasi-documentary feel to punch the authenticity. After the incident the soldiers break down when one of them is butchered (his head cut off and body dumped) in an honor killing and they reveal what happened in a hopelessly bureaucratic whitewash by Army brass more concerned with satisfying mission goals than getting at the truth (think Nuremberg). The entire mission in Iraq is jammed in to a neat and predictable case of typical leftist projection that can be summed up in any late ‘60’s anti-war propaganda of painting American soldiers as baby killers. This is the most pernicious and insidious form of defamation and treason that can go unpunished in the post-WWII era.
Did it happen? Yes. Were the soldiers punished? Absolutely. They were given sentences of no less than life under military jurisdiction save one who will face charges of murder in civilian court. Does the movie show any of these consequences? No. How is the acting? As bad as I’ve ever seen. What about the characters? Well, the mastermind’s last name is Rush and he’s a slimy, fat, reprobate that defines the caricature of the American soldier in the closely guarded and black as night mind of the contemporary left. His henchman is a sadistic southerner (complete with Confederate flag) who defines the left’s vision of the current crop of recruits who choose military service rather than face a life of crime. The movie looks cheap. Is filled with cartoonish characters. And the dialog sounds like it came out of a Daily Kos pot-addled jam session. In short, it’s a movie that fans of Brian De Palma will remember as his greatest mistake and crushing blow to his supposed reputation as a serious filmmaker. Scarface can’t make up for this abortion.
Orwell said, “People sleep peaceably in their beds at night only because rough men stand ready to do violence on their behalf.” The problem is that this movie doesn’t give credit to those brave men and women. It slanders all those in uniform in a worn out formula that will be used to subvert our efforts in Iraq. It is quite simply providing aid and comfort to our enemies. And in another time De Palma would be behind bars instead of sleeping in his bed while those rough men provide him the opportunity to give motivation to the enemies of this country. Rest assured, this movie will have a body count when you consider that jihadists riot and kill based on cartoons and rumors of flushed Korans and Mr. De Palma can gleefully hide behind his free speech while reaping financial reward and accolades from Dhimmi camp followers who have no clue that they are only drawing breath because of the sacrifice of those that they and De Palma hold in so much contempt.
If you see a soldier, thank him or her for their service; if you see Brian De Palma, put him on the ground and pay your fine. It’s the right thing to do. This movie is dangerous and will be used against us. Bank on it. And the folks who face the consequences are the same people that give De Palma the freedom to wipe his feces all over the culture without a thought or care.
Congress has their mission ahead of them, try DePalma for treason or clear Axis Sally/Mildred Gillar’s name.
Hollywood is finishing itself off.
If you see Brian De Palma..... spit in the face of the traitor....
I've read some reviews from people who were politically prepared to love this movie, and they HATED it.
Don’t forget folks, Mark Cuban, Dallas Maverick’s owner, is also behind this.
I could be wrong, but I seem to recall someone hearing Cuban saying that the movie was about ‘what soldiers do when they’re bored’.
Cuban must be told that he has Zero Chance of owning the Cubs now. His leadership has gotten the Mavs to be respected team but his window for a title has passed.
I actually greeted the writer strike as a positive move because it shut down the crappy tv shows. Too bad they don't have the brains to put on old TV shows. I'd love to see Babylon 5, Get Smart and Spenser for Hire back on in place of the trash that's frozen due to lack of writers.
O’Reilly, to his credit, has been pounding Cuban and DePalma on this. He’s asked folks to go to where the movie is playing and hold up “We Support The Troops” signs. He’s also suggested that folks going to the Mavs games do the same. I’d boycott watching the Mavs on TV, but I don’t watch the NBA anymore, anyway.
And when this movie fails, as all the previous anti-war movies have failed- we will be told it’s because Americans are too dumb and bovine to appreciate how awful our country is and how enlightened our intellectual betters are.
I’m with you on Scarface. One of the most ridiculous, overblown and poorly done attempts I’ve ever seen and it has a loyal and devoted following. Unintentionally comic and 100% pathetic. I had taken a date to see Greetings and Hi Mom on a double bill at the Waverly Theater. Go figure, she still married me.
I was watching James Lipton interview Al Pacino and when he mentioned Scarface the audience of Artsy-Fartsy New School students burst into applause. I could have puked, but I often feel like puking during a Lipton interview.
Cesca, Tony’s Camonte’s sister, was played by Anne Dvorak.
Yes, a genuine and exotic hottie.
Next... 300. How could such a self-indulgent and philosophically barren sack of $h1t like this become an instant classic?
Anne Dvorak! Thanks, I couldn’t remember her name.
Happy to be of service.
Yep, gangsta-ball is dead to me.
LLS
The quality of the production is also bad. It looks like a home shot movie. Don't now what De Palma was doing technically, maybe a documentary feel, which is even worse.
I tried to judge the movie from an entertainment/interest stand point. First reaction, boring, ho hum. Won't be any word of mouth even from libs. Save the $10.
If Cuban is putting this on his HD channel for free, he must know the party's over.
If I do see DePalma in the streets, I will whack him on the beak (and be responsible for my actions) for intentionally harming our military.
This movie will result in Americans coming home DEAD.
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