Big Screen Bullies

Valley of the Wolves: Iraq (2006)

TURKEY

Valley of the Wolves follows a fictional Kurdish intelligence agent’s journey to restore the honor of 11 Turkish officers who were arrested by U.S. soldiers, a real-life incident that occurred in Iraq in 2003. The film features a bloodthirsty American officer and a Jewish doctor who steals the organs of inmates, selling them to rich New Yorkers. Bulent Arinc, Turkey’s parliamentary speaker, called the film "absolutely magnificent," while the National Review‘s Michael Rubin described it as "deeply anti-American and anti-Semitic." The movie remains one of the most expensive Turkish films every created, as well as one of the the most-watched. The cast includes Hollywood B-List actors Billy Zane and Gary Busey, playing American villains.

Valley of the Wolves: Palestine (2011)

TURKEY

The sequel to the first Valley of the Wolves offers a similarly shaded view to a fictionalized version of the 2010 Israeli attack on a humanitarian flotilla en route to Gaza, in which nine activists were killed. Unlike in real life, a Turkish commando team in pursuit of revenge travels to the West Bank to kill the Israeli commander responsible. Critics, including Jewish organizations and Turkish politicians, attempted to impose bans on the film for its blatant anti-Semitism. As the German publication Spiegel put it, "This wouldn’t be so bad if the film didn’t portray the opponents of Turks and Muslims so brutally — the bad guys in this black and white world are the Americans, the Kurds, the Christians, and the Jews."

Strangers (2008)

RUSSIA

Directed by Yuri Grymov and financed by a pro-Putin Russian political party, Strangers takes anti-Americanism to a new level. "America is a democratic nation and we’re not afraid to do the duty of our world when it needs to be done," declares the film’s crusading protagonist, after being prevented from entering an ambiguously Middle Eastern refugee camp to administer vaccines. The film, which follows the struggles of a group of U.S. aid workers, is the story of American meddling run amok. The Americans first clash with Russian peacekeepers, then with locals, and ultimately, they turn on one another. The cast included American actors Mark Adam, Jeff Grays, and Scarlett McAlister.

The Host (2006)

SOUTH KOREA

 South Korean horror film The Host centers on a monster accidentally created by U.S. military scientists after they dump toxic chemicals into the Han River. U.S. forces attempt to poison the beast with "Agent Yellow," an unsubtle reference to Agent Orange, but ultimately a Korean man ends up slaying the creature. The Host was South Korea’s highest grossing film of all time and, perhaps due to its anti-American themes, was even endorsed by the North Korean government. American actors Scott Wilson and Paul Lazar appeared in the film.

Khuda Kay Liye (In the Name of God) (2007)

PAKISTAN

Khuda Kay Liye tells the tale of two brothers, both talented singers, who struggle with the role of Islam in their lives. One brother becomes increasingly radicalized while the other brother, who is attending music school in Chicago, is wrongly accused of being a terrorist and is tortured by the FBI for a year, suffering serious brain-damage in the process. Widely praised in both Pakistan and India, the film was criticized by some religious conservatives for scenes meant to debunk radical interpretations of the Quran. American actress Austin Marie Sayre plays the love interest of one of the two brothers.

My Name Is Khan (2010)

INDIA

In one of the highest internationally-grossing Bollwood films ever, global superstar Shahrukh Khan plays Rizwan Khan, an autistic Indian Muslim immigrant to San Francisco, who falls in love with a Hindu woman. After 9/11, the Khan family’s peaceful existence is shattered when Khan’s stepson is killed by racist bullies. Khan sets out on a journey to tell the U.S. president, "My name is Khan, and I am not a terrorist." The film depicts the post 9/11-struggles of Muslims in America, but ends on a hopeful note with an Obama-esque president-elect affirming Khan’s message. The cast included American actors Christopher Duncan, Katie Keane, Jennifer Echols, and Kenton Duty.