i can't believe some of you are taking the time to degrade this brilliant filmmaker for creating a political film. Cinema is the reflection of the times! as with any media/medium...
It's a True Story Redacted was a true story. A Political Film. That little family of farmer's didn't do jack shit to Americans but what happened to that little girl from Iraq and her family was more horrifying than the film showed.
This is one of De Palmas' Best I think. It turns the view point around, so to speak. In reality this film is very much like platoon, yet we do not blast that movie; do we. Anyone who blasts this film is ignorant.
There is nothing different from this movie and platoon. Amazing how people don't want to see situations they actually can do something about. Then again, Americans are best at sticking their heads in the sand.
I agree to an extent. Its popculture VS critical thinking. I see nothing wrong with it, because sometimes thats the approach needed to reach a wider public. Not ALL people are politically conscious, especially the youth. This is a great way to influence them positively into thinking about the dilemmas/actualities at hand. But how can you say he doesnt make political movies? Have you even seen Casualties of War??
if i was a republican, i just should say: "this movie is only based on a news in brief, and the troops aren't all crimininals". but the histerical reaction against this film is a proove of bad conscience. and if obama win in november, it's going to be dirty for bush's team...
Casualties of War is probably the only OVERTLY poliical movie I can think of, which is why I considered it more a breif flirtation with substance. The reference to it and Platoon's tagline didn't pass me by unnoticed. It's tagline was 'The first casualty of war is innocence'. The tagline of Redacted is 'Truth is the first casualty of war.' It seems like he's getting back to the filmmaker he wanted to be before the studio system chewed him up - which is great.
Wow, I really thought Brian De Palma just did the broadest films - some a little bit violent like Scarface and Carrie and parts of The Untouchables - but I had no idea he had an interest in politically active filmmaking.
this is because of your lack of familiarity with the director, period. His debut films were subversive and extremely political. He aldo made the films , Blow Out and Snake Eyes .. both were completely subversive works staring the "STARS" of their time: John Travolta and Nicholas Cage. De Palma uses his stylizations as facades for his political subtext. He has always been a political filmmaker
@bapyou There are private corporations that do support the military with weapons and tactics but you imply that the entire military is run by the "corporate state". The issue is not about the military structure or corporations. It is about the individual men and women who put their lives at risk overseas and the respect they deserve.
@coyotefever105 6- Many of us have stopped asking questions about deaths in war basically. If you send in guys without adequate armour on their vehicles and bodies, de-Baathification, not enough men and equipment, no clear overall strategy and nobody seems to ask questions about that?! That raises a whole lot of questions in my mind.
@coyotefever105 3- What I'm trying to say is that many people in the general public accept soldiers dying as being part of the war and it is, but that doesn't mean that a gov't doesn't have the duty to do their utmost to make sure that these men and women come back home and that they can complete their mission, at least in part because of the attributes given to soldiers.
@coyotefever105 1- You know what, I've been thinking about this, since I might be involved directly. I think one of the main reasons why I act/get so agitated when confronted with these clichés is because imho it allows or at least makes it easier for gov'ts to be less cautious with soldiers. Since it gives a meaning and a reason to every soldier's death even though the real meaning and reason might be completely different.
what I can't fathom was, if you've seen this film from start to finish the whole movie is disturbing, its literally piccasso's Guernica and the many stuff wikileaks exposed to us in well crafted way on film, this film redacted, and its very disturbing, and mark Cuban and his boys financed this film, yet they censored the real life images of the Iraqi civilians slaughtered in this war. haha! I mean they could stomach a semi-fictional violent film but couldn't stomach real life violent images?
Yeah he actually tuned down what happened to that little girl and her family he made it even less violent and harrowing and disturbing than what happened !
@obliviouspet Yeah I agree with you, and I think most people was so disgusted about that war, than they didnt get the point of the movie....(they didnt even want to) which is I think, the issues of a certain amount of young soldiers, not all of them, getting a hate and fear about the locals, until they rape and kill people...
@dnbwhynot No need to apologize. It's a healthy thing to speak out your mind especially on youtube. Although I somewhat disagree with your assertions, I do agree that all of us must not use the term "hero" recklessly. It's just the way I think and the way you think differs from mine. I respect that. If you do decide to join the military, I wish you God speed.
@coyotefever105 5- In short I think that somehow this mystification and arguments(sacrifice, heroism, glory etc) when used repeatedly by media and gov't weakens the soldiers position and makes it somewhat acceptable in the eye of the general public for them to be used as cannon fodder.
@coyotefever105 4- I don't think that the public would accept thousands of dead soldiers if they knew that quiet a few of those deaths could and therefore should have been prevented. I think that clearly hasn't been the case in Afghanistan and Iraq. We went into both wars ill-prepared and without enough military resources; if you can't or aren't willing to provide your troops with everything they need than it's better not to go to war.
@coyotefever105 2) Anyhow that's not the main reason why I take offence to this whole hero/self-sacrifice thing. I think it's disgusting that I might be sent to a place to fight a war I don't believe in for interests of the richest people in the world, I might get killed and then I'd become a hero for a cause that was never my own. Furthermore imho it's a very narrow view on war. Imho most soldiers aren't brave, heroic or whatever positive attributes usually attributed to soldiers.
@coyotefever105 I know that they might ask me to do things that I don't like or support but then I will do it for myself(they don't pay great but not bad either) and especially my men, basically every job has it's upsides and downsides. If you are an officer your primary concern imo should be your men and their safety. I can't explain why I want to do this(to long) because there are a variety of reasons, most selfish (as in any career choice) some not that selfish.
Yeah, yeah - it has a bit of 80s yuppie and American Dream commentary in there but it's still a pretty shallow film. Great fun, but not THAT much depth. It has the character arc of Shakespeare, but the aesthetics and plot of Miami Vice.
@coyotefever105 1) I didn't say nor suggest that you do not understand their families pain, I'm saying that it's easy to glorify and mystify these "fallen heroes" and then forget what they were really about and make it a propaganda trip about the greatness nation and the war. Indeed you did not say that soldiers want to die. Soldiers sign up knowing that they MAY experience a hostile situation that can't get them killed.
@coyotefever105 1) Oh come on. "They sacrifice themselves" like any soldier goes overseas wanting to die for their country, they want to live too, soldiers aren't a special breed of some sort, they are just regular men and women who end up serving for various(often pragmatic) reasons. I will most likely join the army in June(As a CO so I'll need to pass an exam) but if I do I hope I don't have any of your kind of 'Hollywood' Rambo style soldiers in my unit.
@dnbwhynot But if you do sign up, I hope you reconsider your outlook of the aspects of the soldiers. When you are with them constantly, it might do you some good. At least your not like those sick, paranoid wackos like @Iseeyoursoul.
@dnbwhynot As the son of a soldier, I am careful of labeling all of these men and women in uniform as heroes. I have the upmost respect for them. What makes them brave in my view is that they enter situations that are hazardous. Sure some might not like doing it but they don't run away from it. If you don't want to fight for those rich people, you don't have to do it. You don't have to sign up. But that's up to you.
@172ndsoldier some prof would bi nice, cos, in process of make body double he admit that he hes made a porn movie to detect real empty time tempo in the porn movies (Umberto Eco did the same thing but analyzing texts and movies). But child porn? I`m sure De Palma has no such of influence like Michael Jackson and he would do his time in jail.
@coyotefever105 Basically the point I wanted to make is that people can get dehumanised in a positive and negative way. I think it's important to identify with people in order to feel compassion etc imho that becomes very hard when people are portrait as a) being too evil b) being too good or c) or not as people at all (i.e collateral damage). But as you said this is my opinion and you can have a different opinion.
@dnbwhynot Hollywood Rambo soldiers? While those movies kick ass, they aren't real. I never said they do that shit. Soldiers sign up knowing they will experience a hostile situation that could get them killed. I never said they want to get killed or whatever you are trying to spin. I come from a proud military family and for you to suggest that I don't understand their families pain is atrocious.
@coyotefever105 I know many are good guys but you can't send 18-21 yo armed to the teeth to a, sometimes extremely, hostile environment and not expect some of them to snap or be a trigger happy. I just think that you should be careful in not criticizing or being hostile to criticism of soldiers because they are humans and they do make mistakes, and a minority acts down right disgraceful. War brings out the worst in people including some of our own troops, we shouldn't be blind to that.
If you want people to watch a movie that has an obvious political agenda you have to make it entertaining otherwise only hard core antiwar viewers will go to see it. "Casualties of War" was a good film with complex and interesting characters which reached millions. De Palma did himself a disservice by making the film too one-sided and over the top and therefore predictable and uninteresting. People are not going to plop down their cash to attend a boring sermon.
Are you Serious?! "Full Metal Jacket" made the troops look good. It showed the hell and trauma they went through. You can say that the film was Anti-war but it was definently Pro-Soldier. If anything "Redacted" is the "Casualties of War" of our time. Same situation: Making U.S. troops look bad and evil and undisciplined.
Saw the film and it wasn't even entertaining. Predictable and over the top characters, not believable. Depalma tries to do a remake of his "Casualties of War" film that starred Penn and Fox in 1988. Difference was this film uses C-rate actors and not one likable, believable or sympathetic character which the 1st film had. Too much one-sided anti-war preaching to the audience.
well, being entertaining was - I guess - the least of the concerns De Palma had to deal with with this movie. You're misunderstanding his cinematic project here. Casualties was adopting a classic Hollywood war film form. Redacted is whole other project; it's a reflection, a thinking on the role of images - all those new digital images - in the XXIst century. On how the truth can make its path in this overwhelming flow of images... You can't make this project look real with Hollywood actors, you don't want any of them bringing "glamour", "actor's studio" in such a story. The acting is served cold, and it was intended this way (usually in De Palma's films, they're way too expressive). to come back to your first remark, he didn't want to be entertaining (for example: there's no music during the ending titles), he wanted us to feel the boredom of the military work there (the waiting, the inactivity time, th frustration of being useless to the situation...), and it's achieved as well. To finish, in arts, you don't have to adopt a balanced position that is required with journalism. Best artists should go "all-in", and such is - especially - De Palma. It is clearly one-sided, but the fact that 95% of what is shown on the screen in this movie did actually occurred in one way or another in real life, makes De Palma's "anti-war propaganda" very effective, impactful and convincing. To me, for its artistic concept and directing (I don't even add the political layer here), Redacted is one of the most important film of the XXIst century, in cinema history. I saw this film ten years ago and felt a bit lonesome feeling this opinion on the movie at this time... Last week I had the chance to see it again at the French Cinémathèque, and a young cinema student told me that the movie is now being featured in their courses and books in the section "new images"...
redacted was a piece of shit. it was one of the dumbest movies i have ever watched. de palma should retire; he's proven over and over that he's a one trick pony (scarface).
You and Mike Thompson (from the above comments) must be in cahoots because even to someone who is far younger than i am sure the both of you are, the making of this film is justified. Just know that there are millions of people half your age who see right through your bullshit. De Palma is one of the greatest filmmakers to come out of the studio system. Don't you know who his peers were??? You make me sick
“One trick pony” His one trick: Sisters Carrie Blow Out Scarface Untouchables Casualties of War Raising Cain Carlito’s Way Mission Impossible Snake Eyes
One of the best directors in the world!!!
i can't believe some of you are taking the time to degrade this brilliant filmmaker for creating a political film. Cinema is the reflection of the times! as with any media/medium...
Brian DePalma can fuck himself!!
Blow Out was already a super left wing film. People act like he's changed or something lol
It's a True Story Redacted was a true story. A Political Film. That little family of farmer's didn't do jack shit to Americans but what happened to that little girl from Iraq and her family was more horrifying than the film showed.
The thing that sucks the most is that Brian De Palma IS a great director, I just don't see why the hell he'd ever direct this crap.
This is one of De Palmas' Best I think. It turns the view point around, so to speak. In reality this film is very much like platoon, yet we do not blast that movie; do we. Anyone who blasts this film is ignorant.
There is nothing different from this movie and platoon. Amazing how people don't want to see situations they actually can do something about. Then again, Americans are best at sticking their heads in the sand.
Brian De Palma is a good director. He did SCARFACE, Every Man's movie.
I agree to an extent. Its popculture VS critical thinking. I see nothing wrong with it, because sometimes thats the approach needed to reach a wider public. Not ALL people are politically conscious, especially the youth. This is a great way to influence them positively into thinking about the dilemmas/actualities at hand. But how can you say he doesnt make political movies? Have you even seen Casualties of War??
if i was a republican, i just should say: "this movie is only based on a news in brief, and the troops aren't all crimininals". but the histerical reaction against this film is a proove of bad conscience. and if obama win in november, it's going to be dirty for bush's team...
Wow this is like finding a fossil
Casualties of War is probably the only OVERTLY poliical movie I can think of, which is why I considered it more a breif flirtation with substance. The reference to it and Platoon's tagline didn't pass me by unnoticed. It's tagline was 'The first casualty of war is innocence'. The tagline of Redacted is 'Truth is the first casualty of war.' It seems like he's getting back to the filmmaker he wanted to be before the studio system chewed him up - which is great.
Wow, I really thought Brian De Palma just did the broadest films - some a little bit violent like Scarface and Carrie and parts of The Untouchables - but I had no idea he had an interest in politically active filmmaking.
this is because of your lack of familiarity with the director, period. His debut films were subversive and extremely political. He aldo made the films , Blow Out and Snake Eyes .. both were completely subversive works staring the "STARS" of their time: John Travolta and Nicholas Cage. De Palma uses his stylizations as facades for his political subtext. He has always been a political filmmaker
I keep bumping into Clockwork Orange fans, and they're consistently interesting to converse with.
@bapyou There are private corporations that do support the military with weapons and tactics but you imply that the entire military is run by the "corporate state". The issue is not about the military structure or corporations. It is about the individual men and women who put their lives at risk overseas and the respect they deserve.
@dnbwhynot What the hell are you doing anyway suggesting that I think our soldiers are like Rambo? Where did you get that crap?
@BestOfTheBestNumber9 Ask to any Brian De Palma's fan and you'll see that Scarface isn't his best film
@coyotefever105
6-
Many of us have stopped asking questions about deaths in war basically. If you send in guys without adequate armour on their vehicles and bodies, de-Baathification, not enough men and equipment, no clear overall strategy and nobody seems to ask questions about that?! That raises a whole lot of questions in my mind.
@coyotefever105
3-
What I'm trying to say is that many people in the general public accept soldiers dying as being part of the war and it is, but that doesn't mean that a gov't doesn't have the duty to do their utmost to make sure that these men and women come back home and that they can complete their mission, at least in part because of the attributes given to soldiers.
@coyotefever105
1-
You know what, I've been thinking about this, since I might be involved directly. I think one of the main reasons why I act/get so agitated when confronted with these clichés is because imho it allows or at least makes it easier for gov'ts to be less cautious with soldiers. Since it gives a meaning and a reason to every soldier's death even though the real meaning and reason might be completely different.
what I can't fathom was, if you've seen this film from start to finish the whole movie is disturbing, its literally piccasso's Guernica and the many stuff wikileaks exposed to us in well crafted way on film, this film redacted, and its very disturbing, and mark Cuban and his boys financed this film, yet they censored the real life images of the Iraqi civilians slaughtered in this war. haha! I mean they could stomach a semi-fictional violent film but couldn't stomach real life violent images?
Yeah he actually tuned down what happened to that little girl and her family he made it even less violent and harrowing and disturbing than what happened !
@@mediocremaiden8883 that's unbeliveable. I don't get it but then again Cuban is ....many things but yet another oligarch you can't trust.
@@mediocremaiden8883what did they tone down? it sounds the same as the real incident
Our media? Where are you from?
@obliviouspet Yeah I agree with you, and I think most people was so disgusted about that war, than they didnt get the point of the movie....(they didnt even want to) which is I think, the issues of a certain amount of young soldiers, not all of them, getting a hate and fear about the locals, until they rape and kill people...
@dnbwhynot No need to apologize. It's a healthy thing to speak out your mind especially on youtube. Although I somewhat disagree with your assertions, I do agree that all of us must not use the term "hero" recklessly. It's just the way I think and the way you think differs from mine. I respect that. If you do decide to join the military, I wish you God speed.
@coyotefever105
5-
In short I think that somehow this mystification and arguments(sacrifice, heroism, glory etc) when used repeatedly by media and gov't weakens the soldiers position and makes it somewhat acceptable in the eye of the general public for them to be used as cannon fodder.
Please, stop drinking BUSH's cool aid huh?
thats called director producer drama.
@coyotefever105
4-
I don't think that the public would accept thousands of dead soldiers if they knew that quiet a few of those deaths could and therefore should have been prevented. I think that clearly hasn't been the case in Afghanistan and Iraq. We went into both wars ill-prepared and without enough military resources; if you can't or aren't willing to provide your troops with everything they need than it's better not to go to war.
@coyotefever105
2)
Anyhow that's not the main reason why I take offence to this whole hero/self-sacrifice thing. I think it's disgusting that I might be sent to a place to fight a war I don't believe in for interests of the richest people in the world, I might get killed and then I'd become a hero for a cause that was never my own. Furthermore imho it's a very narrow view on war. Imho most soldiers aren't brave, heroic or whatever positive attributes usually attributed to soldiers.
Not you Parscebwoi I wrote that in the wrong place. I meant someone else. Not you :)
What docu?
What are you talking about? What do you think Scarface is then?
@coyotefever105
I know that they might ask me to do things that I don't like or support but then I will do it for myself(they don't pay great but not bad either) and especially my men, basically every job has it's upsides and downsides. If you are an officer your primary concern imo should be your men and their safety. I can't explain why I want to do this(to long) because there are a variety of reasons, most selfish (as in any career choice) some not that selfish.
Yeah, yeah - it has a bit of 80s yuppie and American Dream commentary in there but it's still a pretty shallow film. Great fun, but not THAT much depth. It has the character arc of Shakespeare, but the aesthetics and plot of Miami Vice.
@coyotefever105
1)
I didn't say nor suggest that you do not understand their families pain, I'm saying that it's easy to glorify and mystify these "fallen heroes" and then forget what they were really about and make it a propaganda trip about the greatness nation and the war.
Indeed you did not say that soldiers want to die. Soldiers sign up knowing that they MAY experience a hostile situation that can't get them killed.
@coyotefever105
In other words, what you mean to say is this:
All hail the corporate state. Or else!
@coyotefever105
1)
Oh come on. "They sacrifice themselves" like any soldier goes overseas wanting to die for their country, they want to live too, soldiers aren't a special breed of some sort, they are just regular men and women who end up serving for various(often pragmatic) reasons.
I will most likely join the army in June(As a CO so I'll need to pass an exam) but if I do I hope I don't have any of your kind of 'Hollywood' Rambo style soldiers in my unit.
Did you take your medication today?
@dnbwhynot But if you do sign up, I hope you reconsider your outlook of the aspects of the soldiers. When you are with them constantly, it might do you some good. At least your not like those sick, paranoid wackos like @Iseeyoursoul.
@dnbwhynot As the son of a soldier, I am careful of labeling all of these men and women in uniform as heroes. I have the upmost respect for them. What makes them brave in my view is that they enter situations that are hazardous. Sure some might not like doing it but they don't run away from it. If you don't want to fight for those rich people, you don't have to do it. You don't have to sign up. But that's up to you.
@172ndsoldier some prof would bi nice, cos, in process of make body double he admit that he hes made a porn movie to detect real empty time tempo in the porn movies (Umberto Eco did the same thing but analyzing texts and movies). But child porn? I`m sure De Palma has no such of influence like Michael Jackson and he would do his time in jail.
I'm talking to Neboulous1982
@coyotefever105
Basically the point I wanted to make is that people can get dehumanised in a positive and negative way. I think it's important to identify with people in order to feel compassion etc imho that becomes very hard when people are portrait as a) being too evil b) being too good or c) or not as people at all (i.e collateral damage). But as you said this is my opinion and you can have a different opinion.
When you say "Iraqis" do you mean just plain Iraqis or do you mean Civilians or do you mean Ingurgents.
@dnbwhynot Hollywood Rambo soldiers? While those movies kick ass, they aren't real. I never said they do that shit. Soldiers sign up knowing they will experience a hostile situation that could get them killed. I never said they want to get killed or whatever you are trying to spin. I come from a proud military family and for you to suggest that I don't understand their families pain is atrocious.
hahahaha "RideOnHardOn"
I am in the military reserves. I have 6 relatives that are on active duty. Two of which are presently in Iraq.
That's not what were talking about. Don't change the subject. I'm saying that America does not have the most undisciplined army in modern times.
How do you know? are you a veteran of this war?
@coyotefever105
I know many are good guys but you can't send 18-21 yo armed to the teeth to a, sometimes extremely, hostile environment and not expect some of them to snap or be a trigger happy. I just think that you should be careful in not criticizing or being hostile to criticism of soldiers because they are humans and they do make mistakes, and a minority acts down right disgraceful. War brings out the worst in people including some of our own troops, we shouldn't be blind to that.
Support the Troops!
If you want people to watch a movie that has an obvious political agenda you have to make it entertaining otherwise only hard core antiwar viewers will go to see it. "Casualties of War" was a good film with complex and interesting characters which reached millions. De Palma did himself a disservice by making the film too one-sided and over the top and therefore predictable and uninteresting. People are not going to plop down their cash to attend a boring sermon.
@BestOfTheBestNumber9 SCARFACE SUCKED ASS! I don´t understand why anyone thought it was a masterpiece.
Me? Hell no!
Are you Serious?! "Full Metal Jacket" made the troops look good. It showed the hell and trauma they went through. You can say that the film was Anti-war but it was definently Pro-Soldier. If anything "Redacted" is the "Casualties of War" of our time. Same situation: Making U.S. troops look bad and evil and undisciplined.
You're acting like the U.S. invaded Iraq just because we wanted to oppress someone. Do you even know why Iraq was invaded?
It's political leftist crap.
This guy is disgusting. This guy is not making a movie about how he is against the war, it is about his obvious hate for our soldiers.
urghh
Saw the film and it wasn't even entertaining. Predictable and over the top characters, not believable. Depalma tries to do a remake of his "Casualties of War" film that starred Penn and Fox in 1988. Difference was this film uses C-rate actors and not one likable, believable or sympathetic character which the 1st film had. Too much one-sided anti-war preaching to the audience.
well, being entertaining was - I guess - the least of the concerns De Palma had to deal with with this movie. You're misunderstanding his cinematic project here.
Casualties was adopting a classic Hollywood war film form. Redacted is whole other project; it's a reflection, a thinking on the role of images - all those new digital images - in the XXIst century. On how the truth can make its path in this overwhelming flow of images... You can't make this project look real with Hollywood actors, you don't want any of them bringing "glamour", "actor's studio" in such a story. The acting is served cold, and it was intended this way (usually in De Palma's films, they're way too expressive). to come back to your first remark, he didn't want to be entertaining (for example: there's no music during the ending titles), he wanted us to feel the boredom of the military work there (the waiting, the inactivity time, th frustration of being useless to the situation...), and it's achieved as well.
To finish, in arts, you don't have to adopt a balanced position that is required with journalism. Best artists should go "all-in", and such is - especially - De Palma. It is clearly one-sided, but the fact that 95% of what is shown on the screen in this movie did actually occurred in one way or another in real life, makes De Palma's "anti-war propaganda" very effective, impactful and convincing.
To me, for its artistic concept and directing (I don't even add the political layer here), Redacted is one of the most important film of the XXIst century, in cinema history.
I saw this film ten years ago and felt a bit lonesome feeling this opinion on the movie at this time... Last week I had the chance to see it again at the French Cinémathèque, and a young cinema student told me that the movie is now being featured in their courses and books in the section "new images"...
redacted was a piece of shit. it was one of the dumbest movies i have ever watched. de palma should retire; he's proven over and over that he's a one trick pony (scarface).
You and Mike Thompson (from the above comments) must be in cahoots because even to someone who is far younger than i am sure the both of you are, the making of this film is justified. Just know that there are millions of people half your age who see right through your bullshit. De Palma is one of the greatest filmmakers to come out of the studio system. Don't you know who his peers were??? You make me sick
Bonfire of the Vanities is the piece of shit you should be talking about.
“One trick pony”
His one trick:
Sisters
Carrie
Blow Out
Scarface
Untouchables
Casualties of War
Raising Cain
Carlito’s Way
Mission Impossible
Snake Eyes