Mr. Mendes is halfway correct.

The reason why American audiences didn't see it was because they expected an all violent war film with constant action and all that garbage. What they receieved was a thought provoking film that most couldn't handle.

Why most of the American critics didn't get it was because in a year of "Good Night and Good Luck" and a year after "Fahrenheit 9/11", the critics here seem to be under the impression that if you make a thought provoking film, you need to at least once critize Bush and the current state of the country.

Because the film dealt more with the psychological war than the fighting or the politics, critics and audiences felt cheated, though for no good reason. It's one of the most misunderstood films of the year.