Bruce Willis is apparently making a film based on the superb Iraq War reporting of blogger Michael Yon. From the Timesonline: It will be based on the exploits of the heavily decorated members of Deuce Four, the 1st Battalion, 24th Infantry, which has spent the past year battling insurgents in the northern Iraqi town of Mosul.
Okay… finally a pro-democracy, pro-US involvement feature film about Iraq. I’m placing a bet right now this movie will go through the roof, to the consternation of many of Willis’ peeers. Of course, that’s a risky prediction in the movie and political worlds, but considering the following from today’s Washington Post (via Balloon Juice), I feel pretty secure about this one:
Seventy percent of people surveyed said that criticism of the war by Democratic senators hurts troop morale — with 44 percent saying morale is hurt “a lot,” according to a poll taken by RT Strategies. Even self-identified Democrats agree: 55 percent believe criticism hurts morale, while 21 percent say it helps morale.
That’s a lot of people who want to stand up and cheer for our troops.
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22 Comments
1. Ron Wrght:Amen Brother Roger!
The “truth” can’t be contained or constrained. See Instapundit for a related thread:
IT’S A REVERSE-VIETNAM
Ron
Nov 27, 2005 - 2:08 pm 2. Lola:I usually wait till the movie comes out in DVD or on cable tv, because even though there are now theaters that have scheduled captioned movies, i still have to go well out of my way to these theaters. I make an exception for movies such as Harry Potter. This movie will be on my list, along with the Narnia movie, for such exceptions.
Nov 27, 2005 - 2:26 pm 3. Terrye:Roger:
I mentioned this on yargb today.
I wonder if Mel Gibson will produce it?
I don’t know if it really will happen… or if it does if it will be a big success… but I bet it gets better reviews from the military than Jarhead did.
It is nice to see Yon getting some attention. He has done a wonderful job, he is the closest thing to Ernie Pyle out there today.
Nov 27, 2005 - 2:40 pm 4. Banjo:Would someone explain to me why Hollywood would make a boring movie like Jarhead meant to demonstrate the futility of war generally and the one in Iraq in particular with the numbers above? I thought not even ideology trumped the bottom line in Tinseltown. Or am I in a strange way being naive?
Nov 27, 2005 - 3:06 pm 5. Asher Abrams:This is great news!!! And about time, too. Thanks for posting this, Roger.
Nov 27, 2005 - 3:39 pm 6. beautifulatrocities:HA! These are the same Dems who actually think they have a prayer of retaking Congress (guffaw) in 2006. So now the public is rejecting their only message, which is Hatin Bush, they better come up with something else to peddle quick.
Nov 27, 2005 - 6:07 pm 7. Jim Rockford:Banjo — movies like Jarhead get made because Hollywood has no clue about what ordinary people think or feel. How can they? Their talent and riches divide them from the experiences of the great mass of people. South Park might as well be a documentary.
Look at Stealth. Mark Steyn observes that the “money shot” of the movie is a jet headed towards a skyscraper. Yet the bad guy is not some terrorist but the plane itself (a machine) so no one is offended. Look at Closer, or Company of Men, or Spanglish, or any other “anti-romance” movie that Hollywood makes. Why would anyone want to see them? Well jaded Hollywood types certainly would because it validates their world-view.
Variety reports that the Nets are flooded with “End of America” shows for next season. This translates to a big upraised middle finger by Hollywood for Redstate America. This seems smart to a Hollywood that so far has been insulated from the rapid substitution of gaming and the internet for movies and TV by a disatisfied audience, and the rapid decline in DVD sales (Stealth and Bewitched I think are now $8 at Best Buy).
Nov 27, 2005 - 6:33 pm 8. kynna:This sounds great. But there are so many ways that Hollywood can destroy a project like this. Mel Gibson’s company would be the best bet because they can operate independently of the major studios, as they’ve proven.
The screenwriter and director are also very important. Anybody know a good screenwriter? Someone who can tell a good story? Hmmm. Where to look for such a person…where to look….
Nov 27, 2005 - 7:24 pm 9. Asher Abrams:heh
Nov 27, 2005 - 8:11 pm 10. quickrob:I can see it now!
Die Hard 4: The Battle of Mosul
Nov 27, 2005 - 8:18 pm 11. Patrick Tyson:The initial imdb.com news article for a movie that starred…
Bruce Willis has taken on the job of casting director following the shock departure of Edward Norton from his latest movie. Willis has drawn up a list of young actors he wants to work with on Hart’s War (2001) following Norton’s exit. Norton, 31, was to have starred in the MGM World War II drama as Tommy Hart an American who is shot down over Europe and ends up defending a fellow prisoner of war on a murder charge. But the highly-regarded star abruptly quit because of what the studio describes as “creative differences”. Some reports linked the arrival of Willis on the flick with Norton’s leaving – Willis allegedly asked for certain changes to be made before he signed on the dotted line. Hart’s War (2001) was to have begun shooting in Prague, Czech Republic, in January, but the studio is now recasting the film based on the list submitted by Willis.
—3 October 2000 (WENN)
Sixteen or so months later Hart’s War ($70 million to produce and an estimated $25 million to market) was released. It’s theatrical run generated a little over $32 million in box office worldwide. This might make a little more difference to investors than today’s poll number, or it might not, times and people being what and who they are.
My favorite 2001 release opened 49 days before Hart’s War. It generated almost $173 million in worldwide box office and won Academy Awards for editing and sound.
Should this pre-announcement announcement lead to a movie, I hope the filmmakers study Black Hawk Down (both the finished product and the production method) and make it the model from which they go on to make a film exceptional in both content and form.
Make me happy and, who knows, maybe even make some money.
Nov 27, 2005 - 8:50 pm 12. GinaCobb:Related post:
Bruce Willis: Die Hard American Patriot
http://ginacobb.typepad.com/gina_cobb/2005/11/bruce_willis_di.html
Nov 27, 2005 - 9:35 pm 13. Dean Esmay:This question is infinitely important than questions about approving of Bush or his handling of the war. For it points to what the backbone is of any support for a war. Americans could easily turn on a dime when it comes to supporting this or that President. Indeed, Bush could go down in flames as one of the worst Presidents who ever lived, and still that would not cause the war to end.
Mind you, I do not think history will judge him that way, but it could.
But what will voters say about the war? Will they reward advocates of cutting and running? Advocates of surrender? I do not think they will.
Nov 28, 2005 - 3:15 am 14. Banjo:Here’s a casting idea for a secondary character. A Green Zone seat-warmer, say, always getting in the way of the guys in the field. This actor hasn’t had a movie that made money for years — maybe a decade or more — but he used to be big and I’m betting he can dig deep and come up with a terrific performance. I can’t remember his name, unfortunately, but he’s related to Shirley McLain in some way. Might be her brother.
Nov 28, 2005 - 4:09 am 15. Hermie:I wish Willis luck in getting quality people to work with him on this project. I don’t just want a positive story about the soldiers in Iraq, but a story that is well-told.
I would also like to have Bruce check with Mel to see if he’d like to partner up with him. (Hey, as a side project they can team up as their action film characters …’Die Hard…with a Lethal Weapon I’
Nov 28, 2005 - 5:15 am 16. ckreiz:I’m hoping that Willis produces a high-quality film quickly. The Administration needs all the help it can get. It will be a huge box-office success.
banjo- nice to see you. As for the ever-left Mr. Beatty, I have to admit that I enjoyed “Reds” as a piece of lost Americana. He hasn’t done much since then except play a dead quarterback.
Nov 28, 2005 - 6:38 am 17. In Vino Veritas:My prediction: The movie will gross less than Tears of the Sun, though it might out-box Hostage. Only bloggers will actually go see it.
This has nothing to do with the story: I’m sure there is a good story to be told that is also sympathetic to our soldiers (something similar to Black Hawk Down, perhaps). It’s just that Bruce Willis peaked with Die Hard, and has had a career for two decades on the back of that one film. The statute of limitations is about up.
Nov 28, 2005 - 7:07 am 18. ckreiz:Good point. Perhaps Willis will kick Beatty’s ass back in the Green Zone, giving the lead fighting role to someone else.
Nov 28, 2005 - 7:11 am 19. Jason:…Bruce Willis peaked with Die Hard, and has had a career for two decades on the back of that one film. The statute of limitations is about up.
Umm… shouldn’t the statute of limitations be reset, based on the box office receipts of Pulp Fiction ($212M worldwide), Armageddon ($201M U.S.), and The Sixth Sense ($293M U.S.)?
I don’t know if this new endeavor will be box office gold – although after the success of The Passion of the Christ, I wouldn’t discount any attempt to make a movie that appeals to “red state” sensibilities. Besides, if Willis peaked 20 years ago, he’s taking his sweet time coming down.
Nov 28, 2005 - 8:54 am 20. Hotjets:Twelve Monkeys was an excellent movie, and Unbreakable was quite good too. I’d argue that Willis has actually done his best work within the last 20 years. While Die Hard was a great action adventure movie, his more recent works have really been more substantial, especially if you love science fiction.
Nov 28, 2005 - 10:10 am 21. Ray Zacek:ckreiz: “Reds”? Aaaaargh and spit! One of the worst movies I ever saw and I haven’t had a splinter of respect for Warren Beatty since. That movie was a godawful mix of political posturing, crass sentimentality and faux documentary. Beatty’s ego is big enough to be visible from space.
Nov 28, 2005 - 2:34 pm 22. Mark Poling:“Reds’ dead baby. Reds’ dead.”
Nov 30, 2005 - 9:54 am