This film tells of a wave of terrorist attacks in New York provoked by Muslim terrorists. It debuted in 1998, but it could almost have been done yesterday, as current and pertinent as it is. The script mixes politics, military secrecy and terrorism, themes sinisterly close to our reality. I liked the way the film criticizes US because much of what is said in the film seems to resonate with what we have seen lately in the last twenty years. Terrorism is no longer a thing of some countries or regions: as in the movie, it can happen in our city and we have to live with it. As noted in the film, CIA made blunders in Middle East, which the world is now paying the bill. And the behavior of American military in the film doesn't lead us remember Abu Ghraib or Guantanamo? Everything in this film is sinisterly current. Another thing I liked: here almost there are no heroes. We all have our ghosts, gray areas, and sins to atone. The notion of "good guy" and "bad guy" is no longer valid in this film. Problems? The lack of reason for the terrorist attacks. There are fanatics blowing up bombs, but why? This could have been well explored, as it certainly would have been had the film been more recent.
Actors do an OK job for most of the time, though none of them have actually been excellent. Denzel Washington has the most central character and is closest to the image of the good guy, but is a character too simple and flat. Annette Bening has the most psychologically intense and complex character, deserving applause for the way she did it, but ends up losing her brilliance by the way the film ends. Bruce Willis is the villain, in an open criticism of the American military's authoritarianism, but is a character so little explored and poorly developed that it looks like a caricature.
The film was thought of as a thriller, and we actually feel the tension growing, but the ending is disappointing and predictable. There remain good political criticisms, although relatively lightly, and the sinister parallels of topicality I have mentioned.
Actors do an OK job for most of the time, though none of them have actually been excellent. Denzel Washington has the most central character and is closest to the image of the good guy, but is a character too simple and flat. Annette Bening has the most psychologically intense and complex character, deserving applause for the way she did it, but ends up losing her brilliance by the way the film ends. Bruce Willis is the villain, in an open criticism of the American military's authoritarianism, but is a character so little explored and poorly developed that it looks like a caricature.
The film was thought of as a thriller, and we actually feel the tension growing, but the ending is disappointing and predictable. There remain good political criticisms, although relatively lightly, and the sinister parallels of topicality I have mentioned.