Allies aren't supposed to behave like this. In Turkey—a stable secular Muslim democracy that's practically European—the country's biggest-budget-ever movie, Valley of the Wolves: Iraq, is preparing to hit shelves on DVD and is scheduled for a U.S. theatrical release this summer. Based on a television series that has been a record-breaking hit for four seasons, it's a military thriller about an elite Turkish intelligence officer who near-single-handedly smites a group of reckless U.S. soldiers who make Abu Ghraib look like a Sunday picnic. The film, which received some press coverage in the States, is only part of a wave of anti-American pop culture that's sweeping the country.
Valley of the Wolves: Iraq starts off factually enough, with a depiction of a July 4, 2003, incident in which around 100 soldiers from the U.S. Army's 173rd Airborne Brigade stormed the barracks of a Turkish special forces office in Iraq, arresting 11 Turks who allegedly were planning to assassinate the Kurdish governor of the oil-rich city of Kirkuk. The Americans not only handcuffed the Turks but also forced hoods over their heads and held them in custody for more than two days. The U.S. government later apologized, explaining that its soldiers couldn't tell the difference between Turks and Iraqi insurgents because the Turks were not in uniform. Turkey didn't buy it, and this blockbuster is the payback.As the flick takes a sharp turn toward fiction, one of the 11 Turks in the 2003 debacle commits suicide to regain his warrior honor. His suicide note is sent to Polat Alemdar, the Turkish intelligence officer who stars in the Valley of the Wolves television show.
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1 comment:
It's often said that we Greeks will do anything for financial gain. But usually that is always tempered by drawing the line at sympathy for muslims. No matter how assimilated we are to our new nations if no longer on Greek territory. Zane on this account sickens me. As for Busey, aren't the Buseys just nuts anyway?
Sorry to get all racial and all. I usually hate it when people refer to me or my motives as Greek when I am above all an American. Still, I do know other Americans of Greek descent who were pretty shocked by Zanes move on this one.
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