Iraq war films among favourites at Venice festival

VENICE, Sep 4 (Reuters) Two very different movies about the Iraq war are among the favourites for awards at this year's Venice film festival as it passes the halfway stage, and an unusually high number of male leads have stood out.

For pure shock value, Brian De Palma's ''Redacted'' wins hands down, stunning audiences with an uncompromising reconstruction of the real-life rape of a 14-year-old Iraqi girl and the murder of her and her family by U.S. soldiers.

For those looking for a more nuanced take on the conflict, which has become a hot topic in Hollywood, Paul Haggis' ''In the Valley of Elah'' stands out, as does the central performance of Tommy Lee Jones.

Paolo Mereghetti, film critic for Italy's Corriere della Sera newspaper, gave his highest marks so far to ''Redacted'', calling it ''well and truly a blow to the stomach''.

But not everyone agreed. Jay Weissberg, critic for the US-based Variety industry magazine, said De Palma ''hits you over the head with a sledge hammer.

''My concern with films like that is that people sing their praises because of the subject matter and not because of the film itself.'' He and Maria Giulia Minetti, who covers the festival for Italian daily ''La Stampa'', preferred Haggis' picture.

''So far I think the hot favourite is 'In The Valley Of Elah' more than 'Redacted', because it combines the high quality of the director, the message about the Iraq war and a thriller-type story that the public will enjoy,'' she said.

Jones' performance as a Vietnam veteran whose son is murdered by fellow soldiers after returning from Iraq is already seen as an early Oscar contender.

Also much talked about was the film's defining image of an American flag in tatters and hanging upside down, a symbol of national distress.

STRONG MALE LEADS Critics said much would depend on whether the jury, led by Chinese director Zhang Yimou, rewarded a political movie.

The competition, which critics have praised overall, includes films about Iraq, migrant labour in Britain, corruption in America, the Italian mafia and police brutality in Egypt.

In terms of the Golden Lion for best film, critics also rate ''Michael Clayton'', starring George Clooney as a washed out corporate ''fixer'' and French drama ''Les Amours d'Astree et de Celadon'' set in the time of the druids.

''The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford'', featuring Brad Pitt, has won good reviews, and ''La Graine et le Mulet'', Abdellatif Kechiche's story of an Arab family living in southern France was also popular.

Vying for a Silver Lion for best actor alongside Jones is Casey Affleck as a creepy social misfit in ''The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford''.

Jude Law and Michael Caine both won plaudits for ''Sleuth'', Kenneth Branagh's remake of the 1972 thriller. Tony Leung impressed in ''Lust, Caution'' by Ang Lee, as did Clooney.

Best actress favourite, with just over half the 22 main competition films having had their premieres, is Briton Kierston Wareing for her portrayal of an ambitious single mother who recruits migrant workers in Ken Loach's ''It's a Free World...''.

Keira Knightley also won praise in ''Atonement'', Joe Wright's adaptation of the acclaimed Ian McEwan novel.

REUTERS PD AS1545