Review of Redacted (2007) by Rayna R — 15 Mar 2008

Like Cloverfield, redacted is a post-911 movie which uses new media to produce an unengaging film.

Whereas Cloverfield used a single camera, Redacted uses various 'found' footage such as camcorder, security camera and blogs. But whereas Cloverfield stuck strictly to the logic of its visual rules Redacted does not: early on Redacted shows a point of view for which there is no camera; and having eschewed music throughout it gives us operatic music at the close.

The fact that Redacted shows us footage in the style of 'real' footage is presumably an attempt at some sort of authenticity, but the scenes end neatly - as does the film - and we are given alll the information we need to follow the story, never being required to try to piece the story together from these supposed fragments; so the collage style of film making actually reduced the authenticity.

The collage style is a lot less visually radical than it thinks it is, and while it may be an attempt to avoid an authorial voice which tells us what to think, in fact movie never leaves us in any doubt about what we are supposed to think.

The acting is soap opera standard; the dialogue theatrical; and the fact that one of the soldiers just happens to be making a camcorder record of events and no one seems to mind is unbelievably convenient.

While the movie does not present war as exciting, the fact that it shows war as boring means the movie is also quite boring.

Given the importance of the subject matter, this movie gets a 'D - must try harder'.