Redacted

Reviewed by:
Pete Hammond

Brian De Palma, the writer/director responsible for such films as Carrie and The Untouchables, takes three steps back with this agonizing polemic on Iraq. Focusing on a squadron of U.S. Army soldiers who rape and murder a 15-year-old girl and then slaughter her family, it's hard to fathom what De Palma is trying to say. Perhaps that war is hell and that this war is really hell? Using all sorts of visual trickery, from handheld high-def cameras to images directly off the Internet, this quasi-film, shot in documentary style, shows the impact the deadly conflict is taking on soldiers, driving them to horrific acts. What the movie gets right is the day-to-day pressures put upon these men and women, but it is hard to identify with any of them on display here. A major reason for that is Redacted contains the worst ensemble acting imaginable. They basically just utter a lot of profanity, and bore us with details of their miserable existence. After 90 minutes of repetitive dialogue and unconvincing actions, you may just want to bolt for the door. Certainly Iraq has proven to be effective fodder for lots of well-intentioned movies this year, but a point-of-view would be nice, or at least a reason to take us into the world of these pathetic souls. It's a shame that with the vast canvas of this seemingly never-ending conflict that this crap is the image De Palma wants to convey. It's not one worth watching.

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