Product: Special Bulletin (TV-Movie) [VHS] (1983)
Rating: 4.0
War of the Worlds for the Nuclear generation.
If Orson Welles had been in the prime of his career in the early 1980's, he may very well have been the lead anchor in "Special Bulletin", an homage to Welles' classic, panic-inducing "War of the Worlds" that has been updated for the nuclear age. The basic premise surrounds the news coverage by the fictional RBS network of a tense standoff in a harbor in Charleston, South Carolina, between authorities and domestic terrorists aboard a tugboat. What is it the terrorists want? Through the use of the news crew they took hostage, they insist on a forum to air their demands. Specifically, the United States government must disarm all nuclear weapon devices in the Charleston area and bring the detonating devices to the tug boat where the terrorists will take them out to see and dispose of them. If their demands are not met, they will EXPLODE A NUCLEAR BOMB that they have on board to boat!! They give until 4:30 pm the day after the initial skirmish to meet their demands, or the bomb will detonate at 6 pm. The news coverage proceeds very much like one would expect during such a crisis, complete with speculation on if the threat was real, press conferences on the government's reaction, scientific analysis of the effect of the bomb if it explodes, and biographies and psychoanalyses of the terrorists. In fact, the coverage was so authentic that local television affiliates were flooded with calls from panicky Charleston residents who wanted to know if this was really happening (in spite of constant disclaimers that this was not an actual event). The tension truly begins to mount as the deadline draws close and there still has been no word on if the government with adhere to the demands. Just after the first deadline passes, the government announces that they will be sending all the detonators to the tugboat. As the terrorists cheer the approach of the trucks that supposedly carry the detonators, there video feed in the tugboat is knocked off-line to conceal the team of Special Forces commandos boarding from the other side of the ship. A brief, but fierce, firefight ensues, leaving the terrorists either dead or captured. With the boat now secure, it is up to the nuclear bomb squad to disarm the weapon before it detonates. Alas, as the final deadline grows closer, they trip one of the anti-tamper devices and the bomb explodes. It's a truly horrifying moment caught on tape that leaves one feeling as though they just witnessed a huge atrocity. In the aftermath of 9/11, such a film is even more chilling. "Special Bulletin" is an excellent cautionary tale of the effects of the news media, terrorism, and the nuclear threat all rolled together.