Indiana Jones may play Mattis in Fallujah film

Hollywood is considering a movie about the April battle of Fallujah and Harrison Ford is being approached to play then-MajGen James N. Mattis. The story will supposedly be based on Bing West's forthcoming book abou the battle. We are skeptical of Hollywood's intent. Why focus on one battle that was embarrassingly called off early to the detriment of US and Iraqi security? West is a Marine Viet Nam vet and an excellent writer; "The March Up" which he co-wrote with a retired Marine Major General Ray Smith, is an excellent account of the invasion of Iraq. But Hollywood rarely portrays Marines in a positive light even when they are using a script by a Marine. Take "Rules of Engagement," written by James Webb -- who received a Navy Cross in Viet Nam as a lieutenant and later served as Secretary of the Navy in the Reagan Administration. That movie did not portray Marines in a great light. The good news is that the article says the film won't be made for something like four years, so perhaps there will be time for them to expand the script to include our recent trouncing of the quasi-terrorist state in Fallujah.