Hollywood on Iraq War: feature films from Tom Hanks, Tom Cruise, Julia Roberts

Hollywood has decided to step up its actions against the Iraq War. From outspoken actors to great feature films from big names such as Tom Hanks, Tom Cruise, Meryl Streep and Julia Roberts. Directors such as the Oscar-winning Robert Redford, Mike Nichols and Paul Haggis will be taking on a war still in progress.

A whole new genre of war movie has been created even while US troops remain on the front lines.

Next month, America sees the release of In The Valley of Elah, a hard-hitting drama by Paul Haggis about the murder of an Iraq war veteran. This film will signal the start of the onslaught.

Mike Nichols, who directed the seminal anti-war film Catch-22 will return to the genre once again with the help of Tom Hanks and Julia Roberts in the film Charlie Wilson’s War. The film follows a Texas congressman’s covert dealings in Afghanistan.

Also in the same genre is the critically acclaimed Grace Is Gone, John Cusack’s latest film which sees a man struggle to face family challenges after his wife is killed during service in Iraq.

Cusack has said that his desire to make “Grace” was born out of anger at the decision by the Pentagon to ban publication of photos showing flag-draped coffins on their return from the battlefield. He said, “I feel that people will be interested in seeing the story of the human cost of this war. Not just in terms of the soldiers fighting, but the civilian leadership,”

Other films on the war in Iraq and Afghanistan are Robert Redford’s Lions for Lambs, which stars Tom Cruise and Meryl Streep, Brian De Palma’s Redacted and Gavin Hood’s Rendition.

This spate of films continues into 2008, where we will see Kimberly Peirce’s Stop Loss as well as The Hurt Locker, which has just begun filming in Iraq and Jordan.

With 2 thirds of Americans now thinking the war in Iraq was a huge mistake, it seems now is as good a time as any to release films like these.

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