Product Details

• Actors: Gavin Abbott, Joanne Adams, Shamshad Akhtar, Dean Ashton, Paul Antony-Barber
• Format: Closed-captioned, Color, NTSC
• Rated: NR (Not Rated)
• Number of tapes: 1
• Studio: Warner Home Video
• VHS Release Date: April 5, 2005
• Run Time: 95 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (27 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B0007R4SZE
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #482,853 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Dirty War takes a Traffick-like approach to its subject matter: the dirty bomb or RDD (Radiation Dispersal Device). In other words, the goal of this HBO/BBC co-production is realism, not soap opera. Just as Traffick (the miniseries, not the movie) took a global look at the drug war, Dirty War takes a comprehensive look at a terrorist attack. It begins with a London-based drill before moving on to the making of several dirty bombs by Islamic fundamentalists (portrayals counterbalanced by Muslim characters presented in a more positive light). The action continues to alternate between any number of groups, including politicians, the press, and the general public. When the terror cell detonates a bomb in the city center, the movie tracks the aftermath, including the interrogation of a suspect. Dirty War lacks Traffick’s scope, but it does boast some of the excitement of 24 and certainly provides ample food for thought. --Kathleen C. Fennessy

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Dead On Target!, March 18, 2005

By 

UncleChris "mekins" (Wickenburg, AZ United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Dirty War (DVD)

As a fire fighter who has been part of many weapons of mass destruction drills with a large metropolitan fire department, I can tell you that this film portrays a dirty bomb explosion and its aftermath exactly as it would actually happen. It's frightening!

It is a very well made film. The charaters are well played, interesting and believable. The plot moves along at a good pace and is accurate and riveting.

I can't exactly call it "entertaining" because of the subject matter, but it is indeed a film every American should see. This is far scarier than any horror flick I've ever seen..... This could actually happen as portrayed....

25 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Filmmaking at its informative, political best., April 7, 2005

By 

James Luckard (Los Angeles, CA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Dirty War (DVD)

This film has rightly been compared to the brilliant 1989 series "Traffik." Obviously it cannot reach "Traffik"'s scope in 90 minutes, compared to over five hours. However, there is still the same intelligent approach to a complex issue, without the hysterical melodrama that an American film about the same topic would undoubtedly bring to the issue, like the overwrought "The Day After" did for nuclear war in 1983.

Much of the film reminds me of the compelling 1998 drama "The Siege." However, that film featured big Hollywood stars, necessitating "big dramatic moments" for them to show how well they can emote. There is none of that here.

The performances are uniformly excellent, but there is no lead, and there are no big character moments. We just get a serious look at a fictional attack on The City, London's financial district, from the point of view of the security services, the firemen, the government and the terrorists themselves, who are not portrayed as monsters but as focused, intelligent men with horiffic goals.

The DVD features a great commentary track with the director and his co-writer. Instead of just saying how brilliant each actor is or describing what is happening on screen, as if for the blind, like so many of these tracks, the two of them offer a wealth of information about the making of the film, and their thorough research into the topic. They give a real sense of why they felt a fictional approach was best. It's nearly as good as the film and a worthwhile addition.

It's just a pity HBO didn't include the BBC News discussion special which aired immediately after the film in the UK, "Dirty War: Your Questions Answered." It was much like the special episode of Nightline that aired after "The Day After" in 1983, in which various officials and other commentators debated about the film.

Still, this disc is highly recommended.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A very scary must see, February 25, 2005

By 

Gwyn Edwards (Mountain View, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Dirty War (DVD)

I just saw this movie on PBS, it's about Islamic fanatical suicide terrorists setting off two "dirty bombs" in central London (a third was caught before setting off his bomb). The plot is very well done, and very scary, but the scariest thing was how clueless the authorities were in handling the aftemath!