So The Path to 9/11 is ...
Question: So The Path to 9/11 is "seriously well done," huh? Does an obvious political bias and a shameful disregard for the facts matter? While I realize all docudramas are somewhat fact-flawed by nature, I find this one particularly distressing, as it capitalizes on one of the most traumatic events in this country's history. Does it matter that this is being presented with the 2006 election right around the corner? Is this responsible, or merely partisan entertainment, designed to further drive a wedge between the citizens of this country?Answer: I found the movie to be tough on both administrations, Clinton's and Bush's. I didn't see it as a whitewash of the Bush camp, as liberals are carping, or as a screed against Clinton's, as the conservatives are crowing.
Given that my deadline for writing about this movie came before the partisan attacks in the blogosphere and criticisms by members of the 9/11 Commission became public, I can only defend my opinion by saying I was judging The Path to 9/11 as I do most docudramas: evaluating the "drama" more than the "docu," as I would never pretend to be an authority on such a complex issue.
I always expect that projects like this will compress actual events and characters, with the ensuing danger of distorting the facts (which is apparently most glaring in a scene involving Sandy Berger calling off a strike against Osama bin Laden). I still believe it was a gutsy call for a network to devote the resources to such an ambitious and epic project. Given the kind of crud the networks call "movies" nowadays (when they even bother to make them), I found this a laudable attempt, even if flawed, at doing something serious and meaningful, especially in light of the ferocity of the current political landscape, where everything's a minefield. Given the firestorm ABC is getting over this, I imagine it will be a long time before another network tries anything of this nature, and that seems to me a shame.
The criticisms by those who have yet to see the movie are not surprising, and I imagine given their own preconceived biases (I tried to put mine aside, and am as amused as I am horrified to open e-mails accusing me of being a right-wing tool), their opinions probably won't be swayed by actually watching the movie. If I somehow had been psychic enough to know the controversy the film would stir up before its release, I would have tried to reflect that in my review. But I couldn't, so I didn't.
