65
Metascore
12 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 80New York Magazine (Vulture)David EdelsteinNew York Magazine (Vulture)David EdelsteinBattle for Haditha has some of the raw energy of Sam Fuller's war pictures, which weren't subtle but left you energized by their ambivalence (there was no good or evil). It's a hell of a picture.
- 80The Hollywood ReporterMichael RechtshaffenThe Hollywood ReporterMichael RechtshaffenWith its dialogue largely improvised by many who had seen extensive combat in Iraq, Battle for Haditha has a gripping authenticity lacking in other similarly themed dramas.
- 80VarietyRobert KoehlerVarietyRobert KoehlerIntense, fair-minded entry in the pileup of Iraq pictures.
- 75The A.V. ClubNathan RabinThe A.V. ClubNathan RabinUnsubtle but gripping.
- 70Village VoiceVillage VoiceAn engaging Iraqudrama that straddles the line between blistering exposé and Spielbergian heart-tugger.
- 70SalonAndrew O'HehirSalonAndrew O'HehirLargely improvised, cast with ex-Marines and Iraqi refugees and shot in Jordan. It might just be the movie this war has been waiting for.
- 60The New York TimesManohla DargisThe New York TimesManohla DargisMr. Broomfield maintains a level of cool detachment throughout. That's to the good of the movie, which, though technically exemplary, falters dramatically on occasion, becoming dangerously close to overheated whenever the characters speak for any length.
- 50Chicago ReaderJ.R. JonesChicago ReaderJ.R. JonesBroomfield, whose celebrity exposés are known for their intrusiveness and innuendo, lost me with his gentle shower scene between an Iraqi woman and her husband; even if it wasn't invented, is it really any of our business?
- 50TV Guide MagazineKen FoxTV Guide MagazineKen FoxBroomfield's film is didactic, awkwardly acted by the cast of former Marines who are meant to lend the film credibility, and clumsily inflammatory.
- 25New York PostKyle SmithNew York PostKyle SmithThe film is an exposé only of a filmmaker's senseless contempt for the military.