In what is probably their most ambitious project to date, writer/director Leigh Scott and the Asylum Home Entertainment step out of their horror comfort zone with The 9/11 Commission Report – a politically charged drama based on the actual report and that examines what led up to the Sept. 11th terrorist attacks.
The film (which was also written by Scott) is a dramatization of the events that are detailed in the report, and (with the exception of individuals convicted of crimes) all of the names and characters are fictional, according to disclaimers at the beginning of the film. It stars Rhett Giles, Jeff Denton, Noel Thurman, Jennifer Lee Wiggins, Eliza Swenson, Griff Furst, Chriss Anglin, and Christina Rosenberg.
The movie begins before 9/11, and slowly builds to the event as the story progresses. The plot also jumps to several different global locations as the film moves on - with certain parts of the film taking place in Afghanastain, the U.S., Israel, and England. Scott (who shot the film on location in Morocco, and Washington D.C.) does a good job of handling the bouncing back and forth between locations, and at times the movie even takes on a similar feel to Traffic or Syriana.
The 9/11 Commission Report’s pace starts slow showing how the government was investigating terrorist threats (including Bin Laden and plots to fly planes into buildings); the juggling acts that kept agencies (both within the U.S. government and with foreign governments) from working together; and the frustration that agents in the field felt while they handled these investigations (which is mostly seen through the C.I.A. operative named “Mike”).
Scott also takes time to show the how the terrorist were working on the plans to launch the Sept. 11th attacks. Scott ends the film with the start of Sept. 11th. There is a voiceover that helps put the film’s various pieces together, and then information on Ramzi Yousef and Abdul Murad, on one of the film’s fictional characters, and on Bin Laden.
Fans of Asylum’s movies or Scott’s films will recognize many of the actors (the director likes to use the same cast for a lot of his films), but the group are really given larger character roles to develop with this film, and they all excel in their various parts.
Giles plays his character as cold and jaded
The movie is very much an ensemble cast with the actors almost forming little groups (similar to Traffic). Thurman, Swenson, Furst do a good job as FBI agents who stumble onto a possible threat, but seem hampered by the law at truly investigating it.
Chriss Anglin and Jeff Denton represent agents that are working overseas with a foreign government agent (Jennifer Lee Wiggins) to extract information from a possible terrorist There is a very disturbing scene where Wiggins tortures the suspected terrorist to get information. Scott takes on the role of a C.I.A. agent that is the handler for Mike (Giles) – who is trying to put together a plan to capture Bin Laden.
While the film is very much an ensemble picture, much of the movie is carried by Giles’ Mike character and the actor’s performance more than makes up for any of the film’s faults. Giles plays the character as cold and jaded. He doesn’t seem to believe in the system that is in place for stopping these terrorist, and is frustrated by the “red tape” that is involved in simply trying to do his job.
Although I enjoyed the film, the movie does have some problems that weigh it down from time to time. The plot takes a bit of time to get into, and it is easy to get lost. It is also hard at first to keep up with who all of the characters are or even their names. Some of this is forgivable given the type of characters that are the film (it is understandable that a C.I.A. agent would not go around broadcasting his name), but it does get a bit frustrating from time to time. Overall, the film’s problems do not ruin the movie, and by the end it is easy to figure out who the all the characters are, and where the plot is heading.
The DVD comes does come with commentary from Scott and actress Eliza Swenson (who also did the film’s music score). There is also a behind the scenes interview with Scott where the director talks about his interest in politics; his thoughts on the actual 9/11 Commission Report; the terrorist attacks of 9/11 and his personal views; and how the film was shot.
The film features an ensemble cast of Asylum’s best actors
While fans of Scott’s previous work or the Asylum’s normal horror films might not know what to think of The 9/11 Commission Report, the film is worth taking a chance on watching. Scott and his cast have crafted a very solid political drama that examines what led up to the terrorist attack.
As of yet, there is not a release date for the UK. Visit the DVD database for more information about the film.
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