Quote:Like hundreds of other exchange students living in Hamburg, Germany in the 1990s, Muhammad Atta, Ziad Jarrah and Marwan al-Shehhi were quiet, orderly tenants who never drew attention to themselves. But on September 11, 2001, they became part of the worst attack ever waged on U.S. soil. This daring drama sheds light on these young Islamic men who were transformed into Al Qaeda killers while in Hamburg--and who would eventually enact the diabolical plan that destroyed the Twin Towers. This semi-fictionalized dramatic account stars Karim Saleh, Kamel, Agni Tsangaridou and Omar Berdouni. Directed by Antonia Bird; written by Ronan Bennett and Alice Pearman. Widescreen.

Quote:The basic concept of this film is quite interesting, looking at the events from the terrorists point of view is actually a commendable and thought provoking direction to come from.

I just have one serious problem with the film, the constant interefering and needless footage of the Twin Towers being hit and destroyed. It simply wasn't needed, if Michael Moore can make Farenheit 9/11 without a single shot of the towers, then so can these guys. Its there for nothing more than impact in a film that on the face of it may have been quite boring without it. If the last shot of the film had been the guy walking onto the plane (as it was) with no previous footage of the towers, the impact of that shot alone would have been incredible.

In conclusion, interesting story and approached well, but needless shock footage ruins the film and its credability.

Quote:The (very) brief footage of the towers being hit was used to show the shock on the face of Ziad Jarrah's girlfriend as she watches the TV broadcasts and realises her boyfriend is surely involved in it.

This was a frightening film, all the more chilling that it's world TV premiere came the night before the Beslan massacre. Almost as frightening is the lack of reaction to the film. It is not sympathetic to the hijackers, as some have claimed - the film explores their motivations, which were, according to this script at least, far more complicated than just Jihad or hatred for the USA.

The film doesn't attempt to explain how the hijackers managed to take over the planes or guide them so successfully to their targets, because this isn't known. It also doesn't involve itself in the flight school/Florida intrigue that some of the hijackers (particularly Atta) were involved in for up to a year before 9/11.

It limits itself to 'giving faces' to and trying to understand the hijackers, and the actors who play Atta, Jarrah and al Shibh show the intensity superbly - and Karim Saleh looks spookily similar to Jarrah.

Superb and brave filmmaking.