Here we have, courtesy of screenwriter Lionel Chetwynd, a two-hour campaign commercial for George W. Bush, one based upon "countless hours" spent with the likes of Karl Rove, Ari Fleischer, Condi Rice, and Andrew Card, and interpreted by an admitted supporter of Bush's first presidential campaign and of the Bush administration (so you might as well consider your purchase of the DVD a donation to the Bush 2004 reelection campaign). An appallingly glowing and uncritical depiction of President Bush (portrayed, rather amusingly, by Timothy Bottoms, who's also played comical Bushes in the short-lived TV series That's My Bush! and in the Crocodile Hunter movie) and his response to the 9/11 terrorist attacks, DC 9/11: Time of Crisis ignores many serious questions about the national response to 9/11, both political and military. Sprinkled amongst the snide remarks about "the Europeans" and sideways smackdowns of Bill Clinton are many would-be soothing reassurances: "This enemy did not attack us because of policies," says Condi Rice. "Liberty is God's gift--it is not negotiable on this watch," snaps Bush, who "truly reveres" the Constitution, we're told. But only those with their heads squarely in the sand for the last three years, or devout Bush partisans, will be able to take any of this at face value. When George Orwell coined the phrase "Ignorance is strength," he was being ironic; the filmmakers here appear to have taken it as advice. Not recommended. [Note: DVD extras include an audio commentary (by director Brian Trenchard-Smith, writer-producer Lionel Chetwynd, and star Timothy Bottoms), the three-minute behind-the-scenes featurette “Handling the Crisis,” cast filmographies, a photo gallery, and trailers. Bottom line: a solid extras package for a bad TV movie.] (M. Johanson)
DC 9/11: Time of Crisis
Showtime, 127 min., R, VHS or DVD: $26.99, Sept 7 Volume 19, Issue 5
DC 9/11: Time of Crisis
Star Ratings
As of March 2022, Video Librarian has changed from a four-star rating system to a five-star one. This change allows our reviewers to have a wider range of critical viewpoints, as well as to synchronize with Google’s rating structure. This change affects all reviews from March 2022 onwards. All reviews from before this period will still retain their original rating. Future film submissions will be considered our new 1-5 star criteria.
Order From Your Favorite Distributor Today: