In the Shadow of THE LOOMING TOWER

Article first published as TV Review: THE LOOMING TOWER on Seat42F.

Hulu’s latest miniseries is THE LOOMING TOWER. Based on the non-fiction book of the same name by Lawrence Wright, the ten episodes cover the lead up to the 9/11 terrorist attacks. Beginning in 1998, with some flashes to hearings well after the fact, we see both the FBI and CIA bungle up their own investigations while refusing to work together, telling the vital story of how Osama bin Laden may have been prevented from killing thousands, but wasn’t. It’s pretty good drama.

At the center of THE LOOMING TOWER is John O’Neill (Jeff Daniels, The Newsroom). He’s head of the FBI New York branch, and he has personal issues with just about everyone in his life. His subordinates seem to mostly respect him, but his bosses don’t, nor do the CIA officers he comes in contact with. Thankfully for O’Neill, Richard Clarke (Michael Stuhlbarg, Fargo) listens to him, but Clarke can only do so much. If O’Neill’s professional flaws aren’t enough for you, he has multiple girlfriends and a wife in various locales, so he’s a deeply flawed character.

Contrast that with Ali Soufan (Tahar Rahim, A Prophet), a more traditional hero. Ali may have joined the FBI on a dare, but he is totally committed to working under O’Neill and trusts the boss’ judgment. He doesn’t hesitate to drop personal matters at a moment’s notice when called upon to do his duty, and is only too eager to put himself into dangerous situations if he thinks he can do some good. O’Neill tempers Ali by looking at the bigger picture, but that’s about the only place where O’Neill is better.

Other than those two, most of the other characters are much smaller. From CIA antagonist Martin Schmidt (Peter Sarsgaard, The Killing), to Schmidt’s loyal underling, Diane Priest (Wrenn Schmidt, Outcast), to teacher Heather (Ella Rae Peck, Gossip Girl), to many others, THE LOOMING TOWER is stuffed full of players, each with their own story and agenda, most of them minor to the main plot. This makes sense for a dramatization of this nature, which surely has a lot of moving parts. And with ten episodes, the miniseries doesn’t need to stay too focused. Still, much of their scenes seem like fluff, rather than driving the story forward, even if the supporting characters are fully formed.

An exception to that is Robert Chesney (Bill Camp, The Night Of). Although his role as a member of O’Neill’s team is not a huge one, he has some very compelling scenes in the first couple of hours that really make him an interesting character.

THE LOOMING TOWER has the weight of an HBO-level miniseries, and is a strong contender come awards season. It has great performances and the heft of being mostly real. The production value and directions are of good quality, and its narrative is smart and cohesive.

Where it wavers for me a bit is the pacing. It feels like it’s balancing too much, and is weighed down by it. When certain characters are on screen, it flies beautifully. When they’re gone, or when we’re venturing into O’Neill’s romantic territory, it falters. I enjoyed the first two hours I watched and will likely watch more, but I can’t help but feel that a leaner series would have worked better. The time frame covered could have been extended if they still wanted to make the same number of episodes.

One thing I thought was pretty cool was that the World Trade Center towers are not glimpsed for quite awhile at the beginning. And the only shot of them in the first two installments is in the background, not a focus of anything happening. They loom over everything, but aren’t part of the story. Not yet, anyway.

Hulu has released three episodes of THE LOOMING TOWER, with more coming weekly.

THE LAST PANTHERS Review

Article first published as THE LAST PANTHERS Review on Seat42F.

Sundance will be bringing us a British / French production this week entitled THE LAST PANTHERS. Set in several European countries, the six-episode series follows a jewel thief and those who would hunt him after the crime as he flees home to a dark underworld.

Goran Bogdan (Number 55) plays Milan Celik, the lead character, at least as far as I can tell. Milan is part of a trio that nab some diamonds in the exciting opening sequence, and it is Milan’s past and actions that provide most of the driving force of the plot. Will he get away with it? I don’t know, and I’m not even sure if I should root for him to do so or not.

Those chasing Milan aren’t the most likeable people, after all. Insurance adjuster Naomi Franckom (Samantha Morton, John Carter) seems OK, but her boss, Tom Kendle (John Hurt, Doctor Who, Merlin), is anything but kind. Police officer Khalil (Tahar Rahim, A Prophet) is in much the same position as Naomi, seeming much more competent and deserving than those above him. But then again, even without a direct supervisor, Milan comes across much more favorably than those he would or has worked for, too, so there’s a pattern.

The result is a chase through a criminal landscape, ripe with betrayals and executions and cheats and schemes. It’s a bit hard to follow if you aren’t paying attention, similar looking actors and frequent subtitles not helping much with that, but it’s also obvious to the beholder than THE LAST PANTHERS is a high quality production that deserves your attention.

The cast is quite compelling, with their smoldering glances and calculating eyes letting you know there is a lot going on. They also exist in the world with a realistic number of moving parts, which makes it hard for anyone to do anything without a dozen other people being affected by it. This means consequences could come from anywhere, and makes it hard for one character to rely on any other, but it also makes it authentic, and thus deeper than the average television series.

The setting is beautiful and gritty at once. Again, much care has gone into making it seem like THE LAST PANTHERS is in our own, actual world, and it succeeds at that. Car and foot chases find plenty of obstacles in the way, but when the action slows down, it’s even easier to appreciate what’s going on around the characters. The circles they move in may not always be the most pleasant to look at, but there’s a detailed quality that makes the program rise above its peers.

While the U.S. often gets mainly the best of British television (with some exceptions), THE LAST PANTHERS feels better than most imports. It has the quality of a well-respected international film, stretched to miniseries length in order to go both broader and more focused on what it is portraying. Whether it’s the way a tattoo plays with a certain group, or collateral damage among an innocent bystander, the show immediately feels fully fleshed out, and it is very easy to get sucked into.

The series also fits well with Sundance’s brand. Slow-burn character dramas, such as Rectify, are what the network does best, and it already has a history of bringing over productions from other countries, such as with Top of the Lake. I think the show itself is good enough to stand on its own, but in the company of other airings on Sundance, it likely has the best chance to find its target audience and succeed.

THE LAST PANTHERS airs Wednesdays at 10/9c on Sundance.