Chapter 12
The Twenty-First Century: 9/11 and Beyond
The purpose of this chapter is to examine the post 9/11 era of popular American political
filmmaking and to chart the effects of the George W. Bush foreign policy and domestic
politics on the film–politics overlap. As if out of a special effects movie, the attacks on
American soil on 9/11 led to the launching of two foreign wars and a general “war on
terror” that left virtually no corner of American culture untouched. At the movies, the
vilification of Arab characters intensified, some films were withdrawn or delayed
because they seemed too relevant and too inappropriate to the shockwaves rocking the
country, and eventually a “just war” perspective gave way to films openly critical of the
Bush administration’s war policies. Later films also looked critically at the e recession
begun in 2007 with worldwide economic collapse and some sci-fi fantasy films returned
to depictions of a strongman figure to save the day, while others exploited the fear of
climate change for their thrills.
Objectives for Chapter 12:
1. Note the coincidence between the events of 9/11 and the obsession with destructive
images on display in Hollywood films preceding the attacks.
2. Note Hollywood’s initial reluctance to take on directly the events of 9/11 until the
film United 93 and its attempt to portray a detached or objective view of the events
on the plane that went down in Pennsylvania that fateful day.
3. Chart and analyze the rise in war films about especially the invasion of Iraq and the
political circumstances surrounding it. Films supporting the war or attempting to
take a neutral stance on it rather quickly give way to openly critical films
questioning the reasons behind the war and the prosecution of it.
4. Explore the series of films that take on the change in torture policy and the brutality
of U.S. troops against civilians and suspected terrorists alike, blaming less the
soldiers that do bad things than the government and its policies that deployed them
to fight in the first place.
5. Discuss the open political dispute over the depiction of torture in Zero Dark Thirty.
6. Trace the box office failure of films critical of the war to the surprise box office
success of the pro-war propagandistic The Lone Survivor.
7. Explore the public political positions and filmmaking of actor and director Ben
Affleck, including Oscar winning Argo and 70s style political thriller State of Play.
8. Introduce the concept of the covert spectacle and relate it to the melodramatic mode
of address used by most political films.
9. Describe popular political and socio-political biopics of the era, including Milk,
Lincoln, and Dallas Buyers Club.
10. Explore George W. Bush’s explicit and implicit depiction on film.
11. Sketch the increase in films about climate change and religion.
Discussion Questions for Chapter 12:
1. Why did Altman and Baudrillard blame Hollywood for 9/11? Are these valid views
or how would you argue against them?
2. How did Hollywood initially respond to 9/11?
3. How do the trends in war films in this new century compare and contrast to those in
WWII and Vietnam?
4. How does Affleck’s outspoken liberal political point of view affect your responses to
his films?
5. How are soldiers and veterans regarded in the war films of this period? Are they
uniformly heroic? Mostly terrible in their abuse and torture of Iraqis? Are they a
problem to society when they return to the United States? As evidenced in these
films, does America really “Support Our Troops?”
Activities for Chapter 12:
1. Compare and contrast the poster iconography for war films of this era: how do
promotions for films deploy the signs of war (soldiers, tanks, enemy fighter,
explosions) to identify a film and how do those same signs indicate a film’s political
slant on that war? What distinguishes promotion for In the Valley of Elah or The
Hurt Locker from the more solidly propagandistic The Lone Survivor or Home of
the Brave?
2. Write a 2–3 page description of your own political thriller for this day and age: what
are the most pressing political issues of the day and how do you see Hollywood
exploiting any one of those for a moneymaking venture such as a popular film? Will
there be room for any direct political critique in your film or will it use vexing issues
of the day to thrill audiences but not necessarily to make them think differently or
challenge their assumptions on a topic of political significance?
3. Take question #1 above and use it for a debate in class. Or screen Zero Dark Thirty
and divide students into debates over the question of whether Bigelow’s vision is an
endorsement of torture. Or screen Dallas Buyers Club and debate to what extent it
matters that the film positions as its lead a largely unlikeable straight white man. Or
screen Wolf of Wall Street and debate whether the film celebrates, critiques in a
complex manner, or outright condemns Balfort and his behavior.
4. Interview two or three people about their memories and experiences of 9/11, writing
down their remarks. Ask them how they continue to feel about that day and what
they make of the United States’ various responses to it, including wars in Iraq and
Afghanistan and the “war on terror.” Now watch United 93: how does this film
correspond to what your interviews led you to believe about this event?