Reel Bad Arabs: How Hollywood Vilifies a People (ISBN 1-56656-388-7, Olive Branch Press) is a 2001 book by Jack Shaheen where he surveyed more than 900 film appearances of Arab characters. Of those, only a dozen were positive and 50 were balanced. Shaheen writes "Seen through Hollywood's distorted lenses, Arabs look different and threatening.".[1]
He contends that the movies with the most anti-Arab content are: Rules of Engagement (2000), The Delta Force (1986) Death Before Dishonor (1987) and True Lies (1994).
Included on the "worst list" are:
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Inspired by the "worst list", a 9-minute-long trailer called "Planet of the Arabs"[2] was assembled. This short was an Official Selection at the 2005 Sundance Film Festival.
Sut Jhally directed a 2006 video called Reel Bad Arabs about Jack Shaheen's thesis.
The much smaller "Best" list includes Hollywood films that give a balanced heroic portrayal of Arab characters. Included on this list were: