I am not American so I can safely say that my perspective on Delta
Farce is somewhat different. Firstly, I don't know if
many Americans are aware but the rest of the world has stereotyped them as a bunch of loud mouthed dumb red necks who claim to spread 'Freedom and Democracy' but actually don't know what on earth they are doing. This is evident when Larry and his mates arrive in Mexico, think it's Iraq and then try to shoot the first human they see while arguing if it is shitites or turds (Sunnies or Shihites). These guys are working on the premis that all Iraqi muslims and, in fact, all muslims wear rags and own donkeys. I think the whole point of this movie is to show Americans how narrow minded they are when it comes to other cultures outside of their own.
I've watched a range of Iraq war documentaries and it seems to me that the makers of
Delta Farce have taken the issue of how the American people were duped by the Media and the Bush Legacy into believing one narrative about the Iraq war and turned these well known facts into a comedy of how white trash Americans understand the war. Danny Schecter's 'Weapons of Mass Deception' as well as the documentary 'Outfoxed' show how the American public were put on high terrorist alert by a colour graph that would flash across the screen. Red was the highest terrorism danger alert and orange was a close second. In Delta Farce, Evert (the thin, rakish, hillbilly) takes down the red pinata from outside his room to hang an orange pinata in its place. This is after a minor scuffle with 'Carlos Santana.' Evert yells, 'I'm just changing the danger alert.'
Other Iraq war documentaries make refernce to the fact that most US
soldiers in Afghanistan and Iraq cannot speak Arabic. In Delta Farce, not one of the US soldiers can speak Spanish - a language that is taught in all US public schools. Even Disney World translates all its messages into Spanish over the loudspeakers!
In Delta Farce, when Larry and his mates first drive into La Marida - guns ablazing - they change the CD in the soundsystem to Smokey the Bandit's soundtrack. This is a farce that makes fun of how real US soldiers drive into war in Iraq blasting Heavy Metal directly into their helmets. US soldiers told reporters that the song 'Burn MoFos Burn' is one of their favourites. The point is that if music covers the sound of the machine gun then the act is like playing a video game - more escapist than reality.
Most soldiers who sign up for war do so because of the romanticism advertised to 'be all you can be', save your country, bring freedom and democracy to the world. They don't sign up knowing the realities of what they will face in the field. Michael Moore's Fahrenheit 9/11 highlighted the unethical methods used by the US navy/army to recruit poor kids. They sign up to be a part of a slogan. Larry's repetitive attempts to get the army slogan right is comedic but plays on the larger social issues that propaganda and war go arm in arm.
The makers, however, also found time and space in the film to make fun of other cultural phenomena such as the Nacho Libre cult. Evert dresses up as a Mexican wrestler - thin rakish Evert - and pins down the muscle-y Mexican wrestling champion. Gay-cross-dressing-men in sparkly dresses turn up. Karaoke as a US pass time is made fun of. And, it is clear to see that Delta Farce does not only play on the Iraq war but it's whole conceptual framwork is one big stereotype. There is the Mexican damsel in distress (seductive if a bit slutty but always doe eyed and pouty lipped), the patriarchal father (prominent town mayor), the besotted western hero, the evil villain (dressed in black), and Jeff Dunham (a comedian held captive by the mexican villains...or is it a journalist held captive by Al Qaida).
At first I found the movie offensive but after a while I began to understand where the filmmakers were coming from. I guess even war can be turned into something funny? Or, issues of war can be made light of in such a way that it provokes public thought and forces people to think about how they as citizens have approached the Iraq war?
Delta Farce is one of those films where you spend your time spotting the joke, what it makes fun of and where the original material comes from rather than follow the actual story line. We all know that the US army wins in the end. We all know that the hero always gets the girl (even if the hero is a fat dumb red neck). We all know that Americans (in the stereotyped world of film) will always see the enemy as any one other than themselves.