TNR on the New Genre of Suicide-Bomber Movies

WHAT THREE NEW MOVIES ABOUT SUICIDE BOMBERS GET WRONG.
Box Office Bombs
by Elbert Ventura

Only at TNR Online | Post date 11.23.05

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Four years after suicide terrorism became a fact of American life, the movies have caught up. In addition to Syriana, the fall has seen the release of two other movies with jihadists at their center, Paradise Now and The War Within. All three delve into the act of suicide bombing in different contexts. One takes place in the Persian Gulf, another in Israel, and a third in New York City. Balancing sympathy for the actor with condemnation of the act, they all seek to depict the conditions that breed resentment. But it’s in explaining that crucial leap from resentment to murder that each, in its own way, falls short.

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