GDB From United Kingdom, joined May 2001, 12701 posts, RR: 80 Posted (8 years 8 months 2 weeks 6 days 7 hours ago) and read 926 times:
This is a TV film directed by Antonia Bird, 2 years in the making, about how a group of students from the Mid East studying in Hamburg, ended up training for, then carrying out, the attacks of Sept 11 2001.
Not a blow by blow, CGI fest of the attacks, but an attempt to make some sense of what motivated them, in particular, UA93 hijack pilot Ziad Jarrah, a wealthy, secular man who arrives in Germany with plenty of interest in chasing women, no interest in jihad.
Channel 4 tonight, 21.00, no word on any cinema release, being marketed as a dispassionate account of these men's journey to oblivion, it might have trouble getting a release on a mainstream US network, though apparently it has created some interest for overseas distribution, including in the US. http://film.guardian.co.uk/edinburgh2004/story/0,14809,1290548,00.html
Racko From Germany, joined Nov 2001, 4838 posts, RR: 21 Reply 3, posted (8 years 8 months 2 weeks 6 days 6 hours ago) and read 899 times:
There is a very good book written by Spiegel authors about the path to 9/11, if someone's interested I can look up if it has been released in English as well.
Mikedlayer From United Kingdom, joined Apr 2004, 399 posts, RR: 0 Reply 10, posted (8 years 8 months 2 weeks 6 days 2 hours ago) and read 809 times:
I think the point of the film was to demonstrate how it happened, and why it happenend, and wasn't really aimed at aviation enthusiasts who know every airline by heart and when or if they were around...
GDB From United Kingdom, joined May 2001, 12701 posts, RR: 80 Reply 11, posted (8 years 8 months 2 weeks 6 days 2 hours ago) and read 791 times:
Just scenes from an airport, Song excepted, no real problem there, after all, in this sequence they were showing actual scenes of the attacks while cutting back to acted scenes of the hijackers checking in, waiting, boarding.
Interesting about Mousarri (SP?) the '20th hijacker' arrested for immigration offences in the August, after raising suspicions by his attitude in the sim.
Seems to have led to the axing of a whole team, as one of the original targets included The White House, the final plan lost a plane and it's target due to this, UA93 was headed for the Capitol Building it seems.
But, they just brought it forward, after all, not only was Mousarri deemed to be 'of concern' to the hijackers and planners for his carelessness and erratic manner.
The plan had plenty of redundancy too, as late as spring 2001 additional targets were under surveillance, one scene shows an AQ member videoing what looks like a nuclear power station from a car whilst driving on a nearby freeway, the original plan through 1999-2000 called for a 'blizzard of planes', but getting the teams into the US without arousing interest, was difficult.
But the worst aspect of the Mousarri case was that any interrogation of him stopped 24 hrs after he was lifted, worse, the laptop found with him was not looked at until after Sept 11th.
CIA/FBI knew something was brewing, some thought an aviation 'spectacular' was involved, it's gut wrenching to think they had an operative, an erratic one at that, and maybe enough information found with him to give a far better indication of what was coming, but nobody looked.
Even NSA intercepted chatter from AQ suspects giving the date and references to 'the big match', the 'main event' not translated until Sept 12th.
It was a well made film, understated and all the more chilling for it, even down to Atta's disapproval at Jarrah having a beer while in FLA, he of course, was 'fitting in' that he was not a stone cold fanatic 100% of the time made him more dangerous than Atta, he was less likely to arouse suspicion.
He even fooled his wife into thinking that his 1999 trip to Afghanistan had realized his need for jihad, he also grudgingly, allowed her to be the westernised, Turkish girl she was, after initially admonishing her for drinking and smoking when he was flushed with his new found religious passion, whilst still in Germany.
A Tuesday was chosen as pax numbers were lower that day usually, less to control, the 'muscle' for the hijackings arrived in the summer of 2001.
Blackbird1331 From United States of America, joined Apr 2004, 1892 posts, RR: 0 Reply 12, posted (8 years 8 months 2 weeks 6 days 1 hour ago) and read 783 times:
I hope one of the networks over here has the guts to air it. I would be curious to see its content.
Cameras shoot pictures. Guns shoot people. They have the guns.
Flying Belgian From Belgium, joined Jun 2001, 2358 posts, RR: 10 Reply 14, posted (8 years 8 months 1 week 4 days 11 hours ago) and read 720 times:
I've seen the french speaking version of this TV film last evening.
I've found it to be quite excellent. No extra drama.
It is quite chilling and distubing to watch in fact especially at the end. Amazing to see how the CIA didn't do a good job, how fanatic those guys became.
One thing is sure I could not get any sleep the night afterwards.
My deepest sympathy again for those lost ones in 9/11.
L410Turbolet From Czech Republic, joined May 2004, 5392 posts, RR: 19 Reply 16, posted (8 years 8 months 1 week 4 days 5 hours ago) and read 688 times:
I've seen it last night on Czech TV. I think it was really good.
I hope one of the networks over here has the guts to air it. I would be curious to see its content.
I don't see reason why not. The director tried just to portray the perpetrators and their motives. The plot of movie itself starts and ends with them driving to the airport. The only thing from the actual terrorist act is the all-too-familiar TV footage of the burning Twins.
Iakobos From Belgium, joined Aug 2003, 3304 posts, RR: 38 Reply 18, posted (8 years 8 months 1 week 4 days 2 hours ago) and read 666 times:
Probably because you did not switch your tv on, or did not look at the news on TF1, A2, FR3, FR5, M6, Canal, etc or did not pay your last electricity bill...