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Valley of the Wolves: Iraq (Kurtlar Vadisi Irak)

Valley of the Wolves: Iraq (Kurtlar Vadisi Irak)

Movie · 2006 · 11 people

Serdar Akar directed Valley of the Wolves: Iraq (Kurtlar Vadisi Irak), a 2006 Turkish action and war film taken from the popular television series of the same name. Following secret-service agent Polat Alemdar as the series does, it was released on February 3, 2006, was the most expensive Turkish film to that date and the highest-grossing Turkish release of 2006.

The plot draws on a real event of July 4, 2003, when US soldiers held eleven Turkish soldiers in northern Iraq with hoods over their heads. Unable to bear the humiliation, Lieutenant Süleyman Aslan takes his own life, leaving a letter for Polat. Polat goes to Iraq with his men to call the American commander responsible to account. The film also nods to real events such as the Abu Ghraib scandal. Necati Şaşmaz stars and Bergüzar Korel plays Leyla, with Billy Zane, Gary Busey and Ghassan Massoud in the cast.

Raci Şaşmaz and Bahadır Özdener wrote the script and Pana Film produced it; it was shot in Nizip, Gaziantep. With a budget sources put between 10 and 14 million dollars, it earned 27.9 million dollars. Opinion was sharply divided: the Wall Street Journal attacked it harshly, while parliamentary speaker Bülent Arınç called it magnificent. Gladio (2008) and Palestine (2010) followed.

DirectorSerdar Akar
Production companyPana Film
Valley of the Wolves: Iraq (Kurtlar Vadisi Irak) Valley of the Wolves: Iraq (Kurtlar Vadisi Irak) Valley of the Wolves: Iraq (Kurtlar Vadisi Irak)

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Cast

Bergüzar Korel Bergüzar Korel Actor · 44 years old Leyla Haluk Cömert Haluk Cömert Actor · 67 years old Necati Şaşmaz Necati Şaşmaz Actor · 54 years old Polat Alemdar Gürkan Uygun Gürkan Uygun Actor · 52 years old Memati Baş Osman Sonant Osman Sonant Actor · 47 years old American Sergeant 2 Yıldırım Gücük Yıldırım Gücük Actor · 53 years old Kenan Çoban Kenan Çoban Actor · 51 years old Abdülhey Çoban Kerem Fırtına Kerem Fırtına Actor · 45 years old Erhan Ufak Erhan Ufak Actor · 49 years old Erhan Ufuk Caner Kurtaran Caner Kurtaran Actor · 48 years old İsmet Hürmüzlü İsmet Hürmüzlü Actor · 1938 – 2013 Abu Tarık (Arap Lider)

Also in the cast: Billy Zane, Gary Busey, Ghassan Massoud

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Through different eyes

Action & Thriller Fan Puts pace, tension and set pieces first; little patience for slow drama.

You can see the budget and scale in every scene: crowded set pieces, firefights in Iraq, Polat and his crew at their toughest. It mostly manages to carry the show's tension onto the big screen. But at 143 minutes it runs long; the talky stretches in between drag the pace down and some scenes go on far too long. Still, the build-up to the reckoning with the American commander keeps you watching to the end.

History & Society Lens Asks about the period, the social background and what the work reflects.

The film takes as its starting point the real incident of July 4, 2003, when eleven Turkish soldiers were detained in northern Iraq with hoods over their heads, and hands the sense of humiliation that event left behind straight back to its audience. Its nods to real events such as the Abu Ghraib scandal tie it firmly to the news of its day. Reaching 1.2 million viewers in its first three days can be read as a sign of how widely that feeling was shared. On the other hand, it largely reduces a complex war to a contest of good and evil, so it is no surprise that opinions split so sharply. An instructive document for understanding the mood of a period.

Family Viewer Asks whether the whole household can watch it; cares about humor and heart.

This is not one for family viewing. There are war scenes, harsh violence and heavy themes such as a soldier's suicide; it is too much for children. Teenagers and adults who liked the series will watch it with interest. It is also long, well over two hours. If the grown-ups want to see it, it is better to put it on after the kids are in bed.

These are not reader reviews: they are short editorial takes written from different viewer perspectives with AI assistance. Reader reviews are below.

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