Coming in 2012: Yet Another Iraq War (Flop?) Film

You’d think after “Rendition,” “In the Valley of Elah,” “Redacted,” “Stop Loss” and “Lions for Lambs,” film studios would be leery of projects depicting U.S. troops in an unflattering light – or much worse.

Not so! The calendar might say 2012, but there’s another Iraq War-themed film heading our way.

“The Boys of Abu Ghraib,” starring Sara Paxton, Sean Astin and John Heard, sounds like a culmination of all the previous films out to undermine the war effort.

You won’t find a ton of information about the film online, nor does “Boys” seem to have a release date at the moment. Still, a news page for actor Garret Dillahunt, whose name doesn’t appear on the imdb.com page but is linked to the project via Variety, serves up a plot description that sounds like a greatest hits package of past anti-American flops:

All American Jack Farmer leaves behind a fulfilling life to serve his country in Iraq at the peak of the war on terrorism. Stationed at the infamous Abu Ghraib prison, he is pushed to his limit as a daily bombardment of insurgent mortar attacks continually threaten his life. When an opportunity arises to work for the Military Police, Farmer jumps at it and finds himself behind the walls of the infamous Hard Site, a compound for the highest priority terrorists. He’s introduced to the world of military intelligence by Sergeant Tanner, whose harsh, and sometimes inhumane treatment of detainees raises doubts within Farmer about the Army’s procedure. Guided by a formidable moral conscience, Farmer treats the detainees well, even at the ridicule of his comrades, and befriends a wrongfully accused detainee named Ghazi, who becomes an unexpected confidant. When Ghazi is brought into military intelligence for interrogations, Farmer is forced to choose between his loyalty to his friend and his allegiance to his country. When his choice is proven wrong, the year’s worth of stress and trauma finally break him, driving him to commit an act he will forever regret.

Here’s a shorter synopsis at the film’s Facebook page:

An American soldier deployed at Abu Ghraib finds himself behind the walls of the infamous Hard Site where he develops a secret friendship with an Iraqi detainee.

Hollywood can make as many anti-American films as it wishes. The industry simply has to accept the fact that the audience for them could very well fit in a phone booth with plenty of room left for a stressed-out Clark Kent.