American Terror: L'attentato Di Oklahoma City

This is a very powerful and moving documentary about the Oklahoma bombing.

At times almost unbearable, due to the real people's recollections of the event as they were directly involved, or became involved in dealing with the direct aftermath.

It needs to be seen to highlight the terrible consequences of certain peoples actions who, quite cold-bloodily, took the lives of ordinary citizens who, through no fault of their own, happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. Innocents, children and babies no less.

I'm not American and you don't have to be to be affected by this obscene crime.

If there is a hell, these perpetrators will burn in it.

This documentary explores that fateful day in 1995, when a bomb went off in Oklahoma's Federal building and the subsequent investigation that followed.

It will never not be a shocking story, without a doubt this is one of America's biggest and most grotesque terrorist attacks.

I've seen a few documentaries about the event, but this is arguably the best of the lot, at ninety minutes long it's actually quite concise, they could easily have stretched this out over three hours or so.

Even if you know the storyline, there's so much content revealed here that I was unaware of, unbelievable. Once again as a somewhat conservative minded Brit, I just find myself baffled by the gun laws in The US.

Very powerful, very moving, hearing about the children who were caught up in the explosion made my heart sink, it's a shocking revelation, that poor mother.

Some incredible footage, including interviews with those directly affected and some incredible shots of the building after the explosion.

8/10.

I clearly remember this incident when it happened in April 1995 (this and the OJ trial verdict are etched into my brain). I'd been living in San Francisco only a few years, still finding my footing in my career, and the recent 101 California Street shooting was fresh in our minds. This film is concise and sharp, delivered with straightforward storytelling and well chosen interviews that offer clear-eyed recollections without a deep dive into pathos. While it leaves many questions unanswered, as we'll never truly grasp the motives behind such savagery, the doc points to the unsettling throughline of the extremist ideology that fueled Timothy McVeigh and the swirling eddy of disinformation in today's America. It's a thoughtful, timely reminder that domestic terrorism's specter persists, even three decades on, and a must-watch for anyone seeking clear-eyed insight into America's darkest impulses.

A great documentary but I would have like to seen this as a more lengthy series with some focus on the interviews Timothy McVeigh gave to understand his reasons in more detail. A ten part series would be much better. This seemed to compressed given the scale of the bombing and how it has been the largest domestic terrorist attack in US history. It would be better to speak to more survivors and how it changed their lives. Also there should have been more background on Timothy McVeigh's childhood including his family. Did the film-makers try and speak to his as family? Are they in they in the witness protection progeamme?

From the start, the tragedy of this lost and unloved Iraq war vet's heartless Act of terrorism is portrayed with human stories: a woman rescued from the rubble, first responders and community volunteers acting bravely and competently, victims' families just stunned and grieving. I appreciated learning not only previously unfamiliar details of the bombing and subsequent investigation but have so many Oklahomans selflessly risked their lives in the rescue efforts and offered any help they could provide.

I thought there was an appropriate amount of original video, interviews and context. I liked that the score didn't needlessly try to amp up the pathos.