Valley of the Wolves: Iraq (Anti-American film?)

BiscLimpkit · Post by **BiscLimpkit** » 10 Feb 2006, 14:41

Aye as I was driving home, I was listening to Radio Scotland and they were discussing a new big budget Turkish film called Valley of the Wolves: Iraq aka Kurtlar vadisi - Irak. It's supposedly similar to Munich in the sense that it is based on facts but has fictional elements. The story revolves around a controversial incident a few years back where American soldiers arrested two Turkish officers, believing them to be Iraqi or something. They held them at gun point and made them wear hoods. I think they said that the film was about a Turk who visits Iraq and witnesses American soldiers doing inhumane things.

It's been well received in Turkey and even features Western actors (Billy Zane). But the woman on the show said despite claiming to be anti-war, it was also very Anti-American. One reaction from a cinema-goer was that he wanted to go up to an American, put a hood over his head and arrest him at gun point. The woman then said that it is almost a progaghanda movie.

I'm not basing any judgement of this film btw, until I've seen it. But just thought I'd give everyone a head's up.

thelostdragon · Post by **thelostdragon** » 10 Feb 2006, 23:27

This one got a wide theatrical release over here and started on Wednesday. The premiere was held here in Cologne (same theatre where I met Jackie Chan at the "New Police Story"-premiere) and there were hundreds of Turkish people cheering at the stars who came. The only person I knew from the stars, who came to the premiere, was Ghassan Massoud, the guy who played SalahAlDeen in "Kingdom of Heaven".

Will watch the film next week. Probably on Monday/Tuesday.

slasher13 · Post by **slasher13** » 11 Feb 2006, 09:46

Tell us what you think of it, i really enjoyed Ghassan Massoud performance in Kingdom of Heaven and can't wait to see a director cut of the movie.

bradavon · Post by **bradavon** » 11 Feb 2006, 16:41

I don't see it as Ant-American per say Americans have been making movies for years with their slant on the facts.

I do dislike films which take facts and colour them to suit the storyline.

If this heading from IMDB is accurate it's about time we had films on this subject and in fact considering the climate right now we should get much more:

"shows the feelings and the truth behind the Muslims and suicide bombers."

I like everyone else despise what Al Quada did/are doing but I have wondered since 9/11 what are their reasons for doing what they did/are doing?

It's easy to call them monsters and in some ways I'm sure they are but that doesn't mean they don't have a reason. I/We may not agree with it but I'd like to at least hear it. I doubt I'll ever get the answer.

romerojpg · Post by **romerojpg** » 11 Feb 2006, 17:05

I dont give a shit why they do it, they are scum and deserve death.

Evil is the only way to describe them.

bradavon · Post by **bradavon** » 11 Feb 2006, 18:04

I don't disagree with you BUT to deal with evil you need to understand it.

This is true. If Western governments really understood and quite frankly took the time to learn why people such as this are pissed off (putting it very simply) we would be in less a mess than we are now.

Downfall showed very well that Hitler was evil but he was also very much human! The parallels between Hitler and Bin Laden are very similar. Hitler was a white European just like most people on this forum.

Kingdom of Heaven depicts the Crusades a war between Muslims and Christians which neither side was better than the other.

Markgway · Post by **Markgway** » 11 Feb 2006, 19:34

Yeah, but would audiences have accepted Downfall's "humanised" view of Hitler if it were made in 1944? There has to be distance and you can't make what amounts to propaganda without there being a lot of pissed off victims.

thelostdragon · Post by **thelostdragon** » 11 Feb 2006, 22:49

romerojpg wrote:I dont give a shit why they do it, they are scum and deserve death.

You can use a rolling eye symiley all you want, I'm still gonna answear to that. 8)

If they are scum and deserve to die, because they have been killing people, then going by your logic the American/British army, their generals and their governments are scum, too and deserve to die just as well... because they have been killing thousands of people... even way more than Al Qaida ever did. Or does here Stalin's quote apply: "One death is a tragedy; a million is a statistic."

thelostdragon · Post by **thelostdragon** » 15 Feb 2006, 21:04

Valley of the Wolves - Iraq - 4/5
Really good entertaining action flick which focusses mainly of the Middle Easterners' feelings. So it is kinda propaganda-like. They simulated and acted out many true incidents where US troops have abused and killed Arabs, Kurdish and Turkish people in Iraq. For example do they enact the infamous incidents in Abu-Ghuraib-prison where that bitch Lynndie England and other bastards humiliated and killed prisoners. (If you don't know what I'm talking about, go here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lynndie_England )

There is also a scene where US troops are waiting remotely from a Muslim marriage party. When the Muslims shoot with their guns and rifles into the air to celebrate the marriage (as it is custom in some parts of the Arabic world), the chief of the troops says, "OK, now they're terrorists! Attack!" They go to the marriage and want to arrest everybody, including the bride and the groom. They hit the people including the women. There is a scene where the bride is hit in the face with the rifle's butt. When a little boy is shot (by accident I think), the situation escalates and the troops and the men with the rifles start shooting at each other. The groom head-butts a soldier and is shot in the head. This is when the bride decides to become a suicide bomber to blow up the responsible soldiers.

It is the first film I have seen where Americans are excessively portrayed as evil monsters. No wonder the film is banned in the USA. But then again there have been so many Hollywood-films where so many people and nation's are portrayed as uber-evil.

bradavon · Post by **bradavon** » 15 Feb 2006, 21:26

Did you learn anything? It sounds like a biased excuse to bash the American government?

It's banned in the USA? That's hypocritical considering their opinion on the Chinese government.

It's an action film? Oh dear it doesn't sound that good.

For example do they enact the infamous incidents in Abu-Ghuraib-prison where that bitch Lynndie England and other bastards humiliated and killed prisoners.

I presume you meant "they do" not "do they"? As it sounds like you're asking if they reenact the scene.

Yi-Long · Post by **Yi-Long** » 15 Feb 2006, 21:29

America has made simular-style movies for decades long, which were borderline racist, certainly one-sided, and not learning the viewer anything in the process...

...so why ask if this Turkish movie has learned us anything? It's an actionmovie, and if they want to portray the americans as bad guys (by basing the events in the movie on things that really happened), why would that suddenly be wrong?

thelostdragon · Post by **thelostdragon** » 15 Feb 2006, 22:31

Yes. In my opinion it was not an excellent action film, but a good one. The Americans are the bad guys here, so what? I just think it's good that people's attention is drawn to how Muslims are feeling these days.

romerojpg · Post by **romerojpg** » 16 Feb 2006, 01:41

All Muslims feel that way, I wouldnt expect so.

Problem is its not as if the films going to get any sort of big release, mainly because of its slight anti american stance, I do think its ignorant for america to ban it mind you as hey its only a film. I guess some really stupid people who see the film may go out and find Muslim looking peole to take their feelings out on them, a bit like they did after 9/11.,but them kind of silly sods would not go see the film anyway

thelostdragon · Post by **thelostdragon** » 16 Feb 2006, 01:48

romerojpg wrote:All Muslims feel that way, I wouldnt expect so.

Never are ALL people of a certain community of the same opinion. However, I am talking of the majority of Muslims who are against US troops in Iraq and their humiliation of Muslims.

Problem is its not as if the films going to get any sort of big release

It got a wide release at theatres in Germany and so far it is number one at the German box office after only 1 week.

romerojpg · Post by **romerojpg** » 16 Feb 2006, 01:55

That is big then, didnt think it would get that much attention anywhere really even in large Muslim populations. I cannot see it gettiong a release over here mind you, or any american sympathetic country, Germany definatly isnt a US or UK sympaltetic country

thelostdragon · Post by **thelostdragon** » 16 Feb 2006, 01:58

Plus in Turkey it is the best selling film ever with most cinema tickets sold ever (more than any Hollywood production has ever sold in Turkey). And you should know that we are talking about a country where movie piracy is very very very popular.

romerojpg · Post by **romerojpg** » 16 Feb 2006, 02:02

I wonder why it hasnt been on the BBC much about this film, even on the film shows

BBC really sucks, free speech my bum.

grim_tales · Post by **grim_tales** » 16 Feb 2006, 08:45

Sounds interesting. America has been making films for years which bend the facts to make them look good as you say LD and Yi

Still someone has to be the bad guys...

thelostdragon · Post by **thelostdragon** » 22 Feb 2006, 23:35

Here are a few images from SPIEGEL-Online with their captions.

The film begins with the true story of US soldiers arresting a number of Turkish officers in 2003 and placing bags over their heads before carrying them off.

The film's distributor says Europe can't get worked up about the movie while at the same time accepting the Muhammad cartoons that offended "2 billion Muslims."

A scene from "Valley of the Wolves." The movie is an anti-American view of the Iraq war -- and has already set box-office records in Turkey. In Germany, the furor is growing.

Much of the film is reminiscent of cheap Chuck Norris action movies from Hollywood.

Defenders of the film point to American Vietnam movies. Critics say it is the wrong time to be pouring oil on the fire of mistrust between the Muslim world and the West.

Markgway · Post by **Markgway** » 23 Feb 2006, 02:49

I object. I like Chuck Norris!

Yi-Long · Post by **Yi-Long** » 25 Feb 2006, 01:42

Seems like it's been pulled from the theatres in Germany...

thelostdragon · Post by **thelostdragon** » 25 Feb 2006, 11:12

Well, not where I live. It stillo shows in every theatre here. LOL, in its first week, it did better at the box-office than any other recent Hollywood-film has done in its entire playing time and its close to beating "Return of the King".

They won't remove such a well-making film out of theatres.