Politicians and pundits were noisy enough during the first four years of the U.S. occupation of Iraq, but apart from some activist actors, Hollywood was quiet; precious few major films appeared on the Middle East wars. This fall, though, there's a slew of American movies on the subject: In the Valley of Elah, The Kingdom, Rendition, Lions for Lambs and Redacted--and soon, Badland, Grace Is Gone and Charlie Wilson's War. Most are worthy; some feature Oscar-winning actors and directors. And so far, all show how tough it is to turn this war into edifying entertainment for the mass audience.
For one...