Review of Battle for Haditha (2007) by Nelson X — 15 May 2009

Impressively directed, superbly acted docu-drama that delivers a powerful message. he non-professional cast deliver fantastic, naturalistic performances and the documentary approach works extremely well, making the revenge scenes extraordinarily painful to watch.

Broomfield also orchestrates some intensely suspenseful sequences as we wait first for the bomb to go off and then for the inevitable retaliation. Despite the ensuing cover-up, Broomfield is careful not to demonise the Marines themselves; it's clear he believes that they are also victims in their own way.

It's also clear who Broomfield thinks the real villains are: the Insurgents co-opting local mercenaries and using atrocities as propaganda on one side and the behind-the-scenes officers who order the retaliation and then make scapegoats out of the rank-and-file soldiers.

(Just to hammer it home, a sinister-looking actor is seen giving the orders and then presiding over the court martial.) Broomfield's balanced approach packs a powerful message, despite the occasional heavy-handedness of scenes involving the insurgents and the officers.

Battle for Haditha is actually getting a TV premiere within the next couple of months but it's well worth catching on the big screen. Recommended.