Aside from just being entertaining movies and tv shows often political thrillers have a political agenda – the 1954 version of Animal Farm had heavy involvement from the CIA, pushing an anti-communist agenda. While the book was indeed a criticism of Stalinist Russia, Orwell was a self-declared socialist. But these agendas are not always supporting the establishment, often political thrillers are made to criticise those in power.

All the President’s Men – Power Corrupts

A political thriller worthy of the word thriller is All the President’s Men, covering the Watergate scandal and the investigation by journalists Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein. As odd as it sounds seeing people sift through records and have discussions with newspaper editors is indeed thrilling. Perhaps not made with an explicit agenda certainly the film is hugely critical of unchecked political power and the necessity of constant oversight. Also pushing the role that journalists can – and should – challenge those in authority and have the power to bring them down. It’s hard to overstate the impact this film had on the genre.

Zero Dark Thirty – The Ends Justify The Means

A controversial example is Zero Dark Thirty – a political thriller directed by Katheryn Bigelow and starring Jessica Chastain about the hunt for Osama Bin Laden and the raid that killed him. Already bristling with controversy, many people interpreted the film as endorsing torture, saying that the film suggests that they only found Bin Laden because they had carried out torture on captured terrorists. Obviously, this was an issue very much in the public consciousness, with the rights and wrongs of torture being discussed. Human Rights Watch criticised the film for implying that torture can be a useful, if unfortunate, method of getting information and that it lead to being able to find Bin Laden. Conversely, Centre for American Progress puts forward that the film is more complicated, showing the moral cost of torture and how actually very little useful information was gleaned from it.

Syriana – Influencing The World

Syriana is an example of a political thriller that has a more left-leaning agenda; the film is set across continents and focuses on political considerations of control of oil in the Middle East. There are several different storylines focusing on companies, the CIA, regime change, torture, assassination and radicalisation. It’s a film that does not show America in a good light, with it using its military, intelligence services and economic might to get what it wants. This was a film very much in the ‘War on Terror’ when America was engaged in two specific wars with much debate about why they were fighting them and how they were fighting them. Taking Syriana as a guide a person would probably come away with a very cynical understanding of the War on Terror.

So what are the responsibilities of filmmakers when making these political films, where as well as telling a story they’re perhaps putting forward a narrative? Often the cinematic portrayal of events is remembered more than the actual history, or even if the events are portrayed accurately a simple shift in tone or perspective affects how the audience understands them. That being said, providing a filmmaker is not making out-and-out propaganda – explicitly putting out a message by the government or other powerful groups to impact public understanding – they should be able to tell a story as they see fit. Whilst I am hesitant about the depiction of torture and its effectiveness in Zero Dark Thirty many people would think of Syriana as being over-the-top in the villainy of America. All filmmakers have a responsibility to think about the film they are making, and the stories they are telling, but I don’t think political thrillers are held to a different standard. Besides, a film doesn’t have to explicitly be about the War on Terror or democracy in America etc to push a narrative, to return to Animal Farm, on the surface it’s just about barnyard animals.

Also Read: Hollywood & The Military: A Special Relationship

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War Films After 9/11

One of these post–9/11 war films won several Oscars, including Best Picture – The Hurt Locker, telling the story of a bomb disposal unit in Iraq. The biggest grossing film of the 2000s, Avatar, was a sci-fi war film that showed humans fighting a war against a planet’s native population for control of resources. 300 was a commercially successful film war that had quite a cultural impact and which focused on a West vs East mentality. American Sniper was a spectacularly successful film, one of the highest-grossing war films of all time and critical acclaim, this was the story of the American military’s deadliest sniper, who joined the military after 9/11.

Romanticising the War on Terror?

Many of the films that are explicitly set in these wars are romanticised in a variety of ways, ranging from American Sniper where it was criticised for its view of civilians, to The Hurt Locker where the main character is supremely concerned for the welfare of an Iraqi child. American Sniper is showing a highly skilled warrior fighting against a terrible enemy, The Hurt Locker has Americans putting their lives in danger to help the Iraqis. While these might be very different depictions of the war both have a great purpose at play – this isn’t a geopolitical struggle over resources or power but something much more important.

Act of Valor used real-life, active service Navy SEALs to play the Navy Seals in the film, made with the enthusiastic cooperation of the US military. The film struck many critics as practically propaganda for the US military. Daniel D’Addario for observer.com corralled a number of reviews where critics had pointed out its recruitment ad style.

I would argue that it’s films not explicitly about these wars that are the most romanticised – with 300 being the obvious example. 300 is a film set more than 2000 years ago – between the Greek Spartans and the Persian Empire. The Persians are an uncountable horde of barbarians and sometimes literal monsters, the Spartans are brave and resolute. This is a clash of civilisations, a titanic struggle for the whole world, and it is easy it as a story of the noble West fighting the wicked East.

Against The Wars

Not all films take this romanticising, or positive view of these conflicts. The film Zero Dark Thirty – about the assassination of Osama Bin Laden – has split people on whether it is pro or anti the War on Terror but certainly shows that this was not a purely noble endeavour. Another film not explicitly about the War On Terror, 2005’s Munich shows a country’s response to a terrorist attack – morality becomes ever greyer, their targets less clearcut villains, with the protagonists losing their faith in what they are doing while realising they are just creating and prolonging the violence. In the Loop was a satire from comedy legend Armando Ianucci is a political comedy about the runup to the war in Iraq and justifying it. It mocked the cowardice of politicians who wouldn’t speak out against what was wrong, about the constant lying, the bizarre flag-waving blinkered patriotism of some calling for war. Syriana is a complex political thriller and while not explicitly about any particular war there is much discussion of terrorism, America’s use of military power attempts at regime change and the control of valuable natural resources.

One of the shows that did most to address 9/11, the War on Terror and the aftermath was the reimagined Battlestar Galactica of the 2000s. This was a show in which a surprise attack by a dormant enemy destroys -the Cylons- destroys human civilisation, leaving a single fleet running for safety. The Cylons are religious zealots (while at the same time the humans are a very religious society) who think their god sanctions their violence. The show dealt with the use of torture, suicide bombings, military occupation, a clash of civilisations and religions, what rights can be changed or withdrawn in drastic circumstances, struggle between the military and the civilian government for authority…it’s all there and more. What is of great interest is that neither side sits neatly with the real world sides in this war, it is the humans who carry out suicide bombings against the Cylons, it is a Cylon terrorist who is tortured for information.

The years since 9/11 have produced many things that deal with the aftermath of that attack. Some are barely disguised outright propaganda, some openly hostile to what happened and some treading a more complicated path. The stories that get told, the films and tv shows that are made, will have a huge influence on how these events are perceived and remembered.

Also Read: War Films: Horror & Glory

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