The movie's heart is in the right place, but it looks and sounds regrettably bogus.
50
New York Daily NewsJack Mathews
New York Daily NewsJack Mathews
The 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.
40
Film Threat
Film Threat
Boasts 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.
40
TV Guide MagazineKen Fox
TV Guide MagazineKen Fox
In 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.
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.
20
Dallas ObserverRobert Wilonsky
Dallas ObserverRobert Wilonsky
September 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.