In a documentary story about the bombing of the Alfred Mora Federal building in Oklahoma City in April 1995, the worst domestic terrorist act in American history. The film is about the event, which caused a sensation around the world, led to a series of deadly confrontations among American citizens and the imposition of federal law enforcement, including the clashes in Ruby Ridge, Waco and other confrontations.
"Oklahoma City" suggests that conspiracy theories today have consequences for tomorrow - a message with terrifying implications in an age of fake news.
The opening credits run under close-ups of one of those string-and-thumbtack cork-boards, moving from smaller incidents of government conflict with fringe groups into this earth-shaking one, and the movie operates under the same M.O.
Instead of telling a single feature-length story about one of the worst terrorist attacks in American history, this clear-eyed, "Frontline"-ish documentary sketches out the latticework of paranoia and hate that led up to it.
It's useful mostly to people who know little or nothing about the subject matter, and as proof that slamming the door on Muslims can't magically solve terrorism.
A chilling documentary that firmly positions McVeigh not as some delusional loner but rather as a product of a far-right subculture that looked on the U.S. federal government as one of the most dangerous forces on the face of the Earth.
Goodman's gripping documentary ultimately comes across as a history lesson with all-too-relevant insights to impart -- and warnings to scream -- about our forthcoming Trumpian America.
Like many of the best documentaries, Barak Goodman's Oklahoma City isn't just about one thing. In fact... Goodman's compelling and ultimately very chilling and concerning film is about a larger swathe of domestic terrorism
Its cumulative impact surpasses what you would expect from your typical Frontline or American Experience production, and colors in the rest of the white supremacist hierarchy in a terrifying and informative manner.
