32
Metascore
13 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 60VarietyLisa NesselsonVarietyLisa NesselsonGritty, engaging.
- 50Christian Science MonitorDavid SterrittChristian Science MonitorDavid SterrittThe movie's heart is in the right place, but it looks and sounds regrettably bogus.
- 50New York Daily NewsJack MathewsNew York Daily NewsJack MathewsThe results are often exciting and, except for occa­sional overacting by Calil, feels authentic. But the whole notion of exploiting a war and its victims to shoot a commercial feature is reprehensible.
- 40Film ThreatFilm ThreatBoasts some of the best filming seen in today’s so-called “dramatic documentaries,” but an unrefined script and frankly unbelievable ending keep it from becoming something better.
- 40TV Guide MagazineKen FoxTV Guide MagazineKen FoxIn light of the recent plight of real New York City-based filmmaker Micah Garen, who was kidnapped and nearly executed while attempting to make a genuine documentary in Iraq, the whole endeavor seems simply foolish.
- 30Village VoiceLaura SinagraVillage VoiceLaura SinagraThe film outs itself as a shallow indie "Rambo."
- 30L.A. WeeklyErnest HardyL.A. WeeklyErnest HardyIntentionally blurs fiction and reality.
- Maybe Mr. Johnston, who has directed television commercials and music videos, intended this to be a guessing game. But the method robs the real encounters of their power and, even more important, trivializes the subject.
- The visceral thrills do not make up for the ultimate banality of the movie.
- 20Dallas ObserverRobert WilonskyDallas ObserverRobert WilonskySeptember Tapes, with its torturously high-minded narration and ludicrously low-road shenanigans, uses the terror attacks of 2001 as the setup for an infuriating gotcha finale.