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I'm not a fan of docudramas as a matter of principle but the uproar from the Democratic Party made it a must-watch for me. The Senate Demo leadership's threat to retaliate against Disney/ABC was infuriating. The ABC News post-screening Nightline was a reminder that the news organizations have a seemingly permanent liberal bias. I thought Richard Clark had been throughly debunked by now.
Overall it was very well done and even a fair presentation of the legitimate concerns against more aggressive action. Where does law enforcement have to give way to warfare? We still have not reached a consensus on that that issue yet. Part 1 does show the shortcomings and limitations of law enforcement. Even Madeleine Albright got to make some good points. It did not place Ramzi and OBL in a broader terrorism context but one can't attempt to do too much.
Harvey Keitel is, as usual, excellent. It reminds me of another cop part he did much earlier in his career called "Bad Timing: A Sexual Obsession" where he is a detective in Vienna digging into an apparent attempted suicide. Directed by Nicholas Roeg.
I will say that the production and script has a bit too much cop show mentality about it. As when the hard working cop has to buck the bureaucracy to deliver justice - like a frustrated Dirty Harry.
I'll be glued to the TV tonight for part 2.
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