''Purple Heart'' is a 2006

action Action may refer to: * Action (narrative), a literary mode * Action fiction, a type of genre fiction * Action game, a genre of video game Film * Action film, a genre of film * ''Action'' (1921 film), a film by John Ford * ''Action'' (1980 fil ...

war film War film is a film genre concerned with warfare, typically about naval, air, or land battles, with combat scenes central to the drama. It has been strongly associated with the 20th century. The fateful nature of battle scenes means that war fi ...

directed, co-writer and co-produced by Bill Birrell. It stars William Sadler,

Mel Harris Mary Ellen "Mel" Harris is an American actress best known for her role as Hope Murdoch Steadman in the ABC drama series ''Thirtysomething'' (1987–1991), for which she received a Golden Globe nomination in 1990. Early life and education Har ...

and

Emilio Rivera Emilio Rivera (born February 24, 1961) is an American film and television actor and stand-up comedian. He is best known for his portrayal of Marcus Álvarez in ''Sons of Anarchy'' and its spin-off, ''Mayans M.C.'' He is also known for his dep ...

. It is released on November 11, 2006.

Plot

The film is the story of Sgt. Oscar Padilla, member of an elite military unit designed for covert operations. His first mission: assassinate

Saddam Hussein Saddam Hussein ( ; ar, صدام حسين, Ṣaddām Ḥusayn; 28 April 1937 – 30 December 2006) was an Iraqi politician who served as the fifth president of Iraq from 16 July 1979 until 9 April 2003. A leading member of the revolution ...

prior to the beginning of the 2003

Iraq War {{Infobox military conflict , conflict = Iraq War {{Nobold, {{lang, ar, حرب العراق (Arabic) {{Nobold, {{lang, ku, شەڕی عێراق (Kurdish languages, Kurdish) , partof = the Iraq conflict (2003–present), I ...

. Unfortunately the mission is compromised; Padilla is captured and tortured by the Iraqis. Later, Padilla is rescued, but is severely damaged by his ordeal. Back in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

, he escapes from the lock down ward of the military hospital where he is being treated. Given what he knows about the illegal attempt at political assassination, he is considered dangerous. As the leader of the unit that trained Padilla, Colonel Allen is sent with specific orders to go find him and "solve the problem" permanently. Allen intends to convince Padilla to come back. As it turns out, there was no real-life mission at all: it was the final, most severe training exercise that broke Padilla's soul – and mind. The film raises questions about the moral obligations of the use of military power, and the methods that the U.S. uses to train and ultimately sacrifice its own soldiers.

Cast

* William Sadler as Colonel Allen * Demetrius Navarro as Sergeant Oscar Padilla *

as Dr. Harrison *

Ed Lauter Edward Matthew Lauter Jr. ( ; October 30, 1938 – October 16, 2013) was an American actor and stand-up comedian. He appeared in more than 200 films and TV series episodes in a career that spanned over 40 years. Early life Lauter was born and ...

as Civilian *

as Deputy * Russell Gannon as Al-Sadr * Mary L. Carter as News Reporter * Douglas Tait as Halliday * Ric Smith as Hank * Tulsi Ram as Toufig Tulsiram / Iraqi Soldier * H. Charles Parrish as Drill Instructor * Dennis Hayden as Earl * Charles Fathy as Iraqi Officer * Dave Erickson as News Anchor * Icarus the Wonder Dog as Claudia's Dog * Joseph Aguilar as M.A. Guiterrez

Production

''Purple Heart'' was produced by the company of Claymore Inc..

Home media

The

DVD The DVD (common abbreviation for Digital Video Disc or Digital Versatile Disc) is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 1995 and first released on November 1, 1996, in Japan. The medium can store any kin ...

version of the film was distributed by Indican Pictures in 2008.

Release

''Purple Heart'' was released in the Egyptian Theatre in Los Angeles, CA for the Artivist Film Festival.

External links

* * {{IMDb title, 0449488, Purple Heart 2006 films 2000s English-language films