Twenty-five years after the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, Hollywood has largely eschewed the topic in feature films, a trend critics argue is making Americans less safe by failing to foster a clear cultural understanding of the event and its implications.
While films like Oliver Stone's "World Trade Center" and Paul Greengrass's "United 93" offered dramatic retellings of the day's events and the sacrifices made, these and a few documentaries represent the extent of Hollywood's cinematic engagement. The last feature film on 9/11 was released over a decade ago, with no new projects currently in development, according to an analysis by former assistant U.S. attorney Andy McCarthy.
This absence is viewed by some as a significant cultural failure. Historically, cinema has played a crucial role in shaping public understanding of pivotal global events. Films about World War II, Vietnam, and the Civil War, such as "Saving Private Ryan," "Apocalypse Now," and "Glory," have provided accessible narratives that contribute to collective memory and national identity. The silence surrounding 9/11, however, leaves a void.
Multiple factors are suggested for Hollywood's reticence. Some point to progressive sensibilities, diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives, and a fear of accusations of Islamophobia as reasons for avoiding narratives that might portray certain groups negatively. Others suggest a shift toward postmodernism, favoring irony and metaphor over direct engagement with difficult subjects, or the influence of international investors who may not prioritize Western values. The financing of films through global investment is also cited as a potential deterrent to tackling sensitive geopolitical events.
Regardless of the cause, the effect is seen as detrimental. The lack of contemporary cinematic exploration of 9/11 creates a vacuum that can be filled by less credible sources. "Crackpots like Alex Jones and Candace Owens and Tucker Carlson can only thrive because people need stories to help them make sense of the world, and if serious filmmakers won’t tell them, then the lunatics sure will," the analysis states.
This cultural vacuum extends to national defense recruitment. Historically, films like "Top Gun" inspired a significant surge in military enlistment. While enlistment numbers remained stable through the 1990s and immediately after 9/11, the early 2000s saw a drastic decline, reaching a peak recruiting crisis in 2022-23. The absence of films that grapple with the motivations behind and responses to terrorism may contribute to a decline in national service.
Furthermore, the analysis notes a perceived shift in cultural priorities, highlighting that in the aftermath of the October 7, 2023, attacks in Israel, many filmmakers publicly advocated for Gaza, a region governed by a group ideologically aligned with those who attacked the U.S. on 9/11, rather than focusing on the broader challenges of terrorism and Western security.
Despite the current landscape, there is a belief that new technologies could enable more ambitious storytelling at a lower cost. The hope is that a new generation of filmmakers will emerge to create informative and inspiring films about 9/11, drawing on the American tradition of heroism in the face of adversity.
