“I have seen the Devil.”
Created by: Dan Futterman, Alex Gibney, Lawrence Wright
Drama
50min
Pulitzer Prize winning author, Lawrence Wright had this to say about his novel, The Looming Tower:
“Writing that book was probably the most important thing I’ll ever do as a journalist.”
Lawrence is heavily involved in the screen adaptation of his meticulously researched book, and his involvement lends a great deal of credibility and integrity to the weekly miniseries.
The Looming Tower follows John P. O’Neill and his FBI counterterrorism unit as they investigate the increasing threat of Al-Qaeda, the terrorist group responsible for a series of escalating attacks against U.S. targets throughout the nineties.
Terrorists aren’t the only threat O’Neill faces. Bureaucracy, refusal by the CIA to share critical information, and O’Neill’s own self-destructive personal life are all factors hindering the goal of preventing an impending attack on American soil.
There were many questions after 9/11 regarding what the United States government knew in advance of that day and how seriously it took the threat of Al-Qaeda. One thing became clear–the FBI and the CIA are not all-knowing, all-powerful organizations equipped to handle every danger. They are organizations run by people–people who sometimes make mistakes, sometimes misinterpret motives, and sometimes fail their country. The Looming Tower expertly reveals the way human flaws, conflicts, and grudges shape history.
Use your Hulu subscription to watch. For more about the fascinating story of John P. O’Neill, watch the Frontline special, The Man Who Knew.
