Category Archives: Terrorist Attack

Based on true facts, CIA, Suspense, Terrorist Attack, Torture, True Story, Violent

Zero Dark Thirty (2012)

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From NetFlix:

For a decade, an elite team of intelligence and military operatives, working in secret across the globe, devoted themselves to a single goal: to find and eliminate Osama bin Laden. ZERO DARK THIRTY reunites the Oscar-winning team of director-producer Kathryn Bigelow and writer-producer Mark Boal (2009, Best Picture, THE HURT LOCKER) for the story of history’s greatest manhunt for the world’s most dangerous man.

Two and one-half hours is quite a bit of time to spend watching a CIA procedural. If there is one theme that runs throughout the film (in addition to the quest for Osama bin Laden) it is that Jessica Chastain as a CIA agent named Maya is doggedly determined to achieve her goal of killing Osama. She plays a very intellignt and capable agent who bucks no opposition from the CIA hierarchy. Indeed the film makes clear that the job is made more difficult due to conflicts, doubts, differences of opinion, and the need to maintain an appearance of success by each careerist. “Careerist” is not really fair: the agents were sincerely seeking to eliminate the terrorist. Of all the many fine actors involved, who do you suppose plays the C.I.A. directory: none other than the godfather himself, James Gandolfini.

“Zero Dark Thirty” is a phrase used by the military in designating an unspecified time after midnight but before sunrise.

In the beginning of the film there are several torture scenes taking place in a CIA black house. Once those torture scenes are finished, there are no more such scenes for the rest of the film. This is another way of saying that you could easily skip he torture scenes.

For the last hour or so you get to see the young bucks who actually raid the house of OBL (as Osama bin Laden is lovingly referred to in the dialog). And the raid makes all the procedurals worth the wait.

Get a good night’s sleep and then watch this film.

2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, British, Complicated, Computer geeks, Conspiracy, Cynical, DO NOT MISS, Flirting, Love Story, Made For TV, Political Suspense, Suspense, Terrorist Attack, Torture, TV Series, Wonderful acting

MI-5

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From NetFlix:

This award-winning series dramatizes the professional exploits and personal lives of the “spooks” of MI-5, the British equivalent of the FBI. No-nonsense head officer Harry Pearce (Peter Firth) guides a band of dedicated spies who risk their lives every day. The team includes expert and junior members who must balance real life with the job’s requirement for complete secrecy, no matter the cost. Matthew Macfadyen and Richard Armitage co-star.

Beginning in 2002 and continuing at least to 2010, this British TV-series is “utterly smashing”. Intense, sometimes hard to watch, but incredibly exciting in just about every episode. What makes some episodes difficult to watch is that the members of MI-5 are forced at times to make hard decisions that involve “collateral damage” (meaning some poor soul dies), so much so that those members are often damaged themselves and actually leave MI-5 (i.e. leave the show). In fact, be prepared for many, sometimes disappointing cast changes. For example Rupert William Penry-Jones (the character Adam Carter) started the show and then disappeared for awhile to be replaced by Matthew Macfadyen (the character Tom Quinn) who then leaves the show and is replaced by Rupert William Penry-Jones.

There are too many wonderful characters to even mention them. You can find them all listed in IMDB.

In addition to spook plots, there are also many romances. But any romance for a member of MI-5 is next to impossible because even their significant others cannot know what these spooks do for a living.

2011, Complicated, Disturbing Image, DO NOT MISS, Fantasy, Feel Good Not For Children, Flirting, Love Story, Sci-Fi, Suspense, Terrorist Attack, Trains

Source Code (2011)

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From NetFlix:

Jake Gyllenhaal portrays a soldier recruited for a time-bending government investigation that places him in another man’s mind and body, reliving the same traumatic event repeatedly in an effort to identify the perpetrators of a terrorist bombing. Vera Farmiga plays a communications specialist who provides the vital link to the soldier’s primary reality as he searches for critical clues within a recurring nightmare.

Jake Gyllenhaal has done it again, or at least his agent has. Somehow Gyllenhaal finds vehicles that for the most part suit him perfectly.

Although Michelle Monaghan does a perfectly acceptable job as Jake’s love interest, Vera Farmiga does an outstanding job as a conflicted member of the military whose human values eventually trump the self-promotion of the ever preening Jeffrey Wright (Dr. Rutledge).

WARNING: Although this film rates as a “feel good”, it is probably NOT for children because (without spoiling anything) there is one disturbing film shot involving a human body that is a shocker.

Why see this great film ?

  • Fun flirtatious love story
  • Clever sci-fi plot
  • Heart-warming interaction between Jake and his dad
  • Exciting action
  • Feel-good film

If any of the above interests you, DO NOT MISS THIS FILM !

2010, Based on true facts, French, Military, Occasional gore, Quiet, Religious Theme, Slow, Suspense, Terrorist Attack, Unusual

Of Gods and Men (2010)

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From NetFlix:

Awarded Grand Prix honors at the 2010 Cannes Film Festival, this compelling historical drama relates the ordeal of seven French Trappist monks in the mountains of Algeria who are taken captive by Islamic fundamentalists. Before the monks’ abduction, they have ample reason to believe they may be in danger, but their assumption that there can and must be common ground between Islam and Christianity leads them to remain at the monastery.

Quiet, beautifully photographed, possibly inspiring (depending on your point of view), this film is an unusual gem. It is based on a true story which you will find in the Wikipedia article.

Notable throughout is the chanting of the monks. In fact the only other music that I can recall is Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake overture played on a tape recorder in an unforgettable dinner scene.

Among other things the film is a study in the characters of each of the monks, each of whom must decide whether to flee from death by terrorists or to stay at the monastery and accept his fate. In this respect there is a constant atmosphere of menace at war with the peace and quiet.

Kathy and I debated afterward about whether their decision to stay really did any good for anyone or had any meaning at all.

Normally I don’t like to include spoilers, but here I make an exception for a good reason. Do not avoid this film because you expect to see violence brought against the monks. You never see this violence explicitly. (However, you do witness a Croatian worker having his throat slit.) Rather that final violence is implied in the perfect photographic ending.

French with subtitles.

2005, Political Suspense, Redemption, Revenge, Suspense, Terrorist Attack, Violent

The Interpreter (2005)

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From NetFlix:

Silvia Broome (Nicole Kidman) is a linguist whose job is to translate for her assigned delegate the complex issues facing the United Nations. But her daily challenge turns perilous when she overhears a plot to assassinate a high-ranking government official. Suddenly in the crosshairs of the conspirators, Silvia — with help from a Secret Service agent (Sean Penn) — must unravel an intricate web of intrigue to save herself.

Sean Penn and Nicole Kidman parry well (and thank goodness they don’t fall into the cliche of becoming lovers. Oops! did I give something away? But romance is not the point of this film at all!). Each has his or her own sorrow which eventually comes forth. Actually the theme is whether to forgive or avenge a wrong.

Details might be hard to follow at times. There is, of course, violence. In a way this is a mystery story: what’s really happening?

I was amused to see quite a few “Law and Order” participants. But then who hasn’t been on “Law and Order”?

Although the film is nothing special, I stayed glued to see the conclusion.

2008, Drama, Explicit sex, Nudity, Terrorist Attack

Incendiary (2008)

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From NetFlix:

Director Sharon Maguire’s powerful drama stars Michelle Williams as an adulterous young housewife struggling to come to terms with the deaths of her husband and infant son after they’re killed in a terrorist bombing at a London soccer game. Crippled by grief, the widow seeks comfort through affairs with two men (Ewan McGregor and Matthew Macfadyen), inadvertently putting herself in the midst of a dangerous love triangle

Michelle Williams is the center and most of this film. Tangentially her orbit is touched by her husband, by Ewan McGregor, by Matthew Macfadyen, by the son of a terrorist, and most of all by her little boy. Here is an imperfect young woman victimized by an imperfect world inhabited by terrorists. Her story, her reactions, and her final “solution” are a creative set of imagined circumstances that are more or less plausible.

Toward the end of the film her non-acceptance fantasies continued, for me, a bit too long. Don’t expect a perfect ending.