Brian De Palma's Redacted has proven predictably, immensely divisive ... but would we want it any other way? Finally hitting selected theaters this week after months of scrutiny at festival screenings for the elite few, Redacted will finally now be available to those who have either criticized or praised it sight unseen. (Check out that imdb rating...do you think each one of those voters have actually seen the film yet?)
I'm not entirely convinced of Redacted's ultimate "success" or "quality"—but thankfully those are slippery, malleable terms, and the film needs to be evaluated in its own context. As a an attempt to make people use their own eyes, it's undeniably strong; as agitprop it's hampered by its own rigorous, at times ill-executed aesthetic.
Click here to read my own thoughts on the film, which have been available on Reverse Shot since its New York Film Festival premiere. And to get another side, here's RS staff writer Adam Nayman's new piece on the film in Eye Weekly, both a smart review and a nice summation of its reception thus far.
