Paul Haggis, writer and director of the Iraq war movie "In the Valley of Elah," said he concluded that the Army was not interested in telling honest stories about the war or soldiers.
"They are trying to put the best spin on what they are doing," Haggis said. "Of course they want to publicize what is good. But it doesn't mean that it is true."
Few directors focused on Iraq or Afghanistan have approached the military for help. Haggis did.
Haggis said that after he submitted his script, the producers received 21 pages of objections to parts of the film. Haggis, who did not review the notes, said his producers told him they amounted to a refusal to participate.
"We needed their help," Haggis said. "If they had reasonable input I would have taken it. But I am not there to do publicity for the Army. I am there to do a movie that I see as true."
Military officers say flatly that they do not censor films.
"There is no way that we are going to go in and to steamroll anyone's vision," said Phil Strub, the top Pentagon liaison to the film industry. "They will just tell us to drop dead and go away."
Officials will ask for changes, or decline to participate, if they believe military policies or practices are grossly misrepresented -- especially if a movie purports to be based on real-life events, as Haggis' film did.
Breasseale says movies about Iraq and Afghanistan have been one-dimensional.
"There doesn't seem to be a lot of room for nuance," he said. "What sells a script to a studio is an easy concept, like 'This guy is crazy because he has been at war.' 'Easy, I love it,' the executive says."
Breasseale is particularly critical of Brian De Palma's "Redacted," a film released last year and based on a real-life incident in which U.S. soldiers raped an Iraqi girl, then murdered her and her family. Breasseale, who was serving in Iraq at the time of the incident, says De Palma's movie intimates that all soldiers serving in Iraq are criminals.
"It was so wildly offensive to me that he would group all soldiers together," Breasseale said.
De Palma did not respond to several requests for an interview.
Many Hollywood filmmakers reject the criticism of Iraq war movies. Haggis said he worked hard to shade his portrayals of soldiers, even those who commit heinous crimes.
"I did want to have a balanced and nuanced film," Haggis said. "If anything, I tried to be empathetic. I try not to make these kids into villains."
