FILM

THE FOUR TRUE RULES OF THE REAL-LIFE TERRORIST FILM

a lesson in genre

By Jenny Chen

They're all scary

There’s a whole range of true-life terrorist attack films. Here’s a list: Argo (2012), Hotel Mumbai (2018), Hotel Rwanda (2004), Patriots' Day (2016), World Trade Center (2006), The 15:17 to Paris (2018) and Flight 93 (2006). What’s fascinating about this genre is how the rules of the genre are so stable and are repeated over and over again throughout each film. It doesn’t matter if the attack is in France, India, or the United States; wherever, the same thing happens again and again, which is odd because we tend to think of terrorist attack films as being unique. But they aren’t, they’re as clichéd as love stories. They follow a set of rules that filmmakers repeat over and over again. It’s only because terrorist attack films represent something that feels unique and awful that we think what we’re watching a film that is unique and awful. But that’s not true: these films might be more rigid than love stories, and I'm going to show you how they are.

THE FIRST RULE

The first rule of all terrorist attack films is that there will be 15 minutes of normal life before the attack happens. This establishes a counter-reality to make the attack seem more shocking and unexpected. In the film Hotel Mumbai, the first fifteen minutes show Western tourists happily wandering the halls of the hotel, eating at restaurants, relaxing at the pool, completely unaware of what's about to happen; although, we know what’s going to happen, which is part of the perverse pleasure. It shows hotel staff like waiters, chefs, and housekeepers simply performing their normal workday duties. This creates a sense of normalcy that is then shattered when the attack begins. Similarly, in Hotel Rwanda, the opening fifteen minutes depict ordinary community life in Rwanda, people shopping at markets, kids playing soccer, families going to church. There is no sign of the ethnic conflict that will soon rip the country apart. In a basic way, everyday life highlights how much is lost and will be destroyed when the violence erupts.

Everything seems normal

Argo also highlights the normal and every day with unassuming scenes of American diplomats and citizens starting their workday in Tehran, casually interacting with each other despite the unfolding crisis in the streets. The focus is on depicting regular office life before everything goes haywire. A kind of counter-example to rule number one occurs in United 93 directed by Paul Greengrass. The film opens with the hijackers praying and going through airport security just like normal passengers. Showing their mundane prep contrasts sharply with the suicide mission to come. Greengrass films these scenes with a steady camera that suggests the stability of everyday life and even the preparation to attack, which will later make an interesting contrast with the more jittery hand-held camera of the actual attack. Overall, this rule of showing 15 "normal" minutes exists because it maximizes the shock value when disaster finally strikes. The films aim to portray the terrorist attacks as a nightmarish contrast from regular life. Starting with ordinariness makes the ensuing chaos more terrifying for audiences.

THE SECOND RULE

The second rule of all terrorist attack films is they are all about saving lives. The film World Trade Center explores the complex dynamics of who is a "savior" versus who is a "victim" in a crisis. The protagonist firefighters John and Will rush into the World Trade Center after the first plane crashes into first tower, ready to rescue the people still inside. However, after the towers collapse, John and Will find themselves trapped under the rubble, and for the film the initial rescue mission reverses. Now they must struggle to survive until other first responders struggle to locate and save them. This narrative switch challenges typical "hero" tropes, as those accustomed to saving others must confront their own helplessness. Yet as victims, John and Will also retain their humanity and courage, bonding together to endure the ordeal. The film suggests that crises blur traditional lines between savior and victim, and that anyone can find their role reversed when peril strikes.

World Trade Center rescue

Similarly, the passengers in Flight 93 have to decide whether to do nothing and possibly survive or try to stop the hijackers and face almost certain death. Choosing to resist took immense bravery. The film shows the difficulty of the choice. No one freely chooses death. Facing the end sparks the desperate will to live, but conversely also the will to save others. The film captures the struggle between self-preservation and heroism, which is agonizing in much the same way as what the fire fighters face in World Trade Center.

In Hotel Mumbai, Arjun, a hotel worker, displays tremendous courage and selflessness. Nowhere in his job description is he under any obligation to put himself in harm's way to protect the guests, yet he repeatedly risks his own life to guide many of them to a safe hiding place during the terrorist attack. His actions emerge not out of duty, but out of a deeply held commitment to protecting human life. And he does this despite putting himself in grave personal danger. Arjun volunteers for an impossibly perilous mission, impelled by his conscience and belief that lives are worth saving. While the film may simplify the complex social dynamics at play, Arjun’s willingness to sacrifice himself for others transcends questions of status or class. His choices reflect an innate nobility and humanitarian impulse that inspires awe. That an ordinary hotel worker would rise to such extraordinary heroism suggests that the capacity for courage and sacrifice in service of human life resides in the heart of even the humblest among us.

An ordinary man becoming a hero

So, in all these films, when faced with a terrorist attack, the inclination of the protagonists, whether they are firefighters, crew/passengers, or hotel staff, is to try to protect and rescue as many innocent people as possible, even when it means putting themselves in harm's way. Saving lives is consistently a central theme in these films and it seems no matter who you are, what you’re doing, these movies say that you will move into action in order to save others. That’s quite a positive vision of people and humanity.

THE THIRD RULE

A huge difference in style and approach

The third rule of all terrorist attack films is that the actors attempt to mirror the everyday quality of both heroes and victims. Almost to a fault, there are no star turns. If we have a major actor like Nicholas Cage, he isn’t going to be acting like Nicholas Cage. In the film World Trade Center, Cage plays a firefighter who is just a regular guy. Cage tries to stay as close to the character as possible: he dresses like the regular firefighters we see in our daily lives; he doesn't have elaborate make-up or hairstyles: his hat is worn casually to look busy. Compare this to the picture of Nicholas Cage as Stanley Goodspeed in the film The Rock and you can see the difference in approach.

Man vs. Movie Star

And that goes for Armie Hammer, too. He plays the role of a father and husband in Hotel Mumbai. When the terrorist attack comes, he reacts like all the guests in the hotel, panicked and scared, but still wants to do everything he can to protect his family. Hammer wears ordinary clothes and no elaborate make-up. He doesn’t look like a movie star, but an ordinary guy. In his most famous role in Call Me By Your Name, he is so handsome that we’re attracted to him the moment he appears on screen. He wears exquisite clothes and his hairstyle is perfect. In many ways, he doesn’t come close to playing the real person that he does in Hotel Mumbai.

Is that even the same person?

Similarly, Ben Affleck plays the rescue specialist in the film Argo; he has long hair and a beard and looks tired. He wears a suit and shoes everywhere he goes, very close to the character himself. This is different from his film Justice League where he plays Batman, looks godlike, has short hair, and possesses Greek God muscles. In Argo, he seems normal and human, someone we might pass by in our neighborhood or apartment building. For movie stars in terrorist films, the goal is to tamp down their star charisma and heighten their every-man style.

Clint Eastwood’s The 15:17 to Paris takes the everyday quality of the leads to the extreme by casting the three leads, Spencer Stone, Anthony Sadler and Alek Skarlatos, as themselves. None of them are actors, but they did rescue a whole trainload of people in a terrorist attack. By casting them, Eastwood inverts the need to scrub the movie star out of the actor, and instead just lets their normal selves shine. It’s a strange film and not wholly successful, but definitely the epitome of rule number three.

THE FOURTH RULE

The fourth rule of terrorist attack films is that memories and flashbacks are visually differentiated from the main action through camera filters and coloring effects. By altering the visual style for memories, it separates the present danger from the calm of the past, creating a stark contrast.For example, in United 93, as the plane passengers call their loved ones before the revolt, the film shows their memories in warm, nostalgic shades of golden yellow. The colors reflect the comforting, happy memories contrasted with the cold blue hues of the impending tragedy in the plane. In World Trade Center, when John drifts in and out of consciousness, his memories of playing with his children appear in grainy black and white footage, suggesting an old home video. The vintage filter differentiates the carefree past from his desperate struggle for survival. Similarly, in Hotel Mumbai, as Arjun guides the guests to safety, he flashes back to his village life in vibrant saturated colors and flickering light reminiscent of an old film reel. The visual language of contrast sharply delineates the traumatic present from the peaceful past.

ORDER ON CHAOS

Where terrorism films portray chaos, they actually follow these four rules with startling accuracy. It’s as if they take chaos and give it a clear, simple form, providing structure for the filmmaker and a comforting framework for viewers seeking to comprehend the senseless. In imposing order on chaos, these films make the unthinkable just slightly more accessible and rational.

©Jenny Chen and the CCA Arts Review