At 8:46am on 11 September 2001, American Airlines Flight 11 crashed into New York’s World Trade Centre. Seventeen minutes later, another plane struck the South Tower. Before the morning ended, the Pentagon had been attacked and United Airlines Flight 93 had crashed in Pennsylvania. Nearly 3,000 people were killed.
But 9/11 did not end when the smoke cleared. The attacks triggered wars, transformed US foreign policy and created the global War on Terror, leaving questions about torture, detention, justice and national security that remain relevant 25 years later.
Hollywood and television have revisited the attacks through titles including United 93, World Trade Center, The Hurt Locker, Homeland and Zero Dark Thirty. But these lesser-discussed picks explore the aftermath, intelligence failures and human cost from different angles.
The Report- The movie that exposes the secrets behind the War on Terror
Adam Driver stars in this 2019 political thriller as Senate investigator Daniel J Jones, examining the CIA’s post-9/11 detention and interrogation programme. Based on a real investigation, it turns documents, political resistance and disturbing revelations into a tense thriller. IMDb 7.2/10; Tomatometer 83%. Prime Video.
It examines the uncomfortable machinery of the War on Terror and decisions made behind closed doors.
Worth- The movie that asks what a life is worth
Michael Keaton stars in this 2021 drama as attorney Kenneth Feinberg, who administers the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund. It follows grieving families and the painful attempt to calculate compensation for an incalculable loss. IMDb 6.8/10; Tomatometer 81%. Netflix.
It makes the enormous tragedy intensely personal through grief, bureaucracy and ordinary families.
The Looming Tower- The miniseries about the warnings before 9/11
The 2018 miniseries, based on Lawrence Wright’s Pulitzer Prize-winning book, follows FBI-CIA rivalry as intelligence officers track Osama bin Laden and al-Qaeda before 9/11. Jeff Daniels and Tahar Rahim lead the cast. IMDb 7.9/10; Tomatometer 93%. Hulu.
It explores warnings, missed opportunities and intelligence failures before the attacks.
Turning Point: 9/11 and the War on Terror- The documentary series that tells the bigger story
Netflix’s five-part documentary series traces al-Qaeda’s roots, 9/11, the invasion of Afghanistan and the decades of conflict that followed. Officials, former CIA members, veterans, Afghan civilians, Taliban commanders and survivors contribute. IMDb 7.9/10; Tomatometer 83%. Netflix.
It connects one morning in New York to two decades of war and global upheaval.
The Mauritanian- The movie about the forgotten human cost
Tahar Rahim stars in this 2021 legal drama as Mohamedou Ould Slahi, imprisoned at Guantanamo Bay for years without charge after being suspected of terrorism. Jodie Foster and Benedict Cumberbatch co-star. IMDb 7.5/10; Tomatometer 75%. Netflix and Prime Video.
It shifts the focus to someone caught inside the controversial post-9/11 security system, giving the War on Terror a deeply personal face.
