It will be interesting to see how, Redacted, the new film from Brian De Palma based on the case of the rape and murder of a teenage Iraqi girl by US soldiers, will do at the American box office when it opens today (16 November). Other high profile films which question US foreign policy such as Robert Redford’s Lions for Lambs and Gavin Hood’s Rendition have not fared well at the US box office, indicating that American audiences are reluctant to be confronted with such issues at the cinema.
Even before its release, Redacted has generated a flurry of negative response. It has been strongly condemmed by Fox News commentator Bill O’ Reilly who has dubbed the film “anti-American’. De Palma himself has been strongly berated in some American press and on local blogsites.
In response, De Palma has accused the American media of soft-pedaling the Iraq war, saying that it never shows the casualties of the war.
Theatre owners are reportedly anticipating the possibility of protests outside their cinemas when the film opens. (Source: Studio Briefing)
