"Movies related to Afghan, Iraq conflicts"

Reuters:

Redacted", the first of two films about the U.S. occupation of Iraq in competition at the Venice film festival, premiered on Friday.

Following are some of the films about the conflict and the broad military fallout from the September 11, 2001 attacks, both released recently and due to appear in cinemas over the coming months.

- "The Road to Guantanamo" (2006) - Director Michael Winterbottom used the film, based on real-life accounts of the war in Afghanistan, to launch an attack on the U.S. prison at Guantanamo Bay.

- "Home of the Brave" (2006) - In Irwin Winkler's movie, three U.S. soldiers struggle to adapt to life back home after a tour of duty in Iraq. The film made just $44,000 at the U.S. box office, raising questions about what appetite there is for films dealing with the war.

- "A Mighty Heart" (2007) - Angelina Jolie plays the wife of U.S. reporter Daniel Pearl, who was beheaded by Islamist militants in Pakistan in 2002. Despite the Hollywood star's involvement, the movie made a modest $9 million at the U.S. box office.

- "In the Valley of Elah" (2007) - Directed by Paul Haggis, the film was inspired by the real-life murder of a U.S. soldier after he returned from a tour of duty in Iraq, and examines the pressure the conflict puts on those serving there. Starring Tommy Lee Jones, Charlize Theron and Susan Sarandon, it is in the main competition at the Venice film festival.

- "Grace is Gone" (2007) - John Cusack plays a man whose wife is killed while serving in Iraq and must work out how to break the news to his two daughters.

- "Rendition" (2007) - Starring Reese Witherspoon, Jake Gyllenhaal and Meryl Streep, the film is about an American trying to track down her Egyptian-born husband, who is held at a secret CIA detention facility.

- "Lions for Lambs" (2007) - Two soldiers are wounded behind enemy lines in Afghanistan, and the repercussions are felt in the United States. Stars Streep, Robert Redford and Tom Cruise.

- "Redacted" (2007) - Brian De Palma directs a film focusing on an army unit that kills an Iraqi family and commits rape. Based on a true story.

- "Stop Loss" (2008) - A U.S. soldier refuses to return to Iraq to fight.

- "The Hurt Locker" (2008) - Ralph Fiennes and Guy Pearce appear in a movie about an army bomb squad on a dangerous mission in Iraq.