Product: Special Bulletin (TV-Movie) [VHS] (1983)
Rating: 5.0
Ripped From The Headlines
Attacks on New York, attacks from within (Oklahoma City); it's not a matter of if, it's a matter of when. Hell, it's already begun. The United States seems on a path that doesn't give enough credit to terror from within, and terror from elsewhere. America doesn't seem to nurture real care to any nation. Hiding behind the veil of the oft stated, "We are a nation of laws". Well enough. We simply give billions, we never develop a bond with our friends, neutrals, or foes. A little bit of love would go much further than billions. I humbly propose a worldwide emergency response team that resembles military enscription - and helps peoples with as much touching, as money and technology. (And perhaps a Tupperware Party here and there). So it's not unthinkable that an unlikely crew of Americans demand to state thier case via terrorism. Made for TV film "Special Bulletin", prophetically explores the anger of those who seek uni-lateral disarmement as a first step towards the reduction of Weapons of Mass Destruction. This film was made before the fall of Communism, and clearly cites the Soviet Union as a threat that can be de-escalated, if America makes a first bold, and trusting move. As the film shifts into high gear, it becomes clear the Administration will not capitulate to internal terrorists despite thier claim that they have a Nuclear Weapon, and will detonate it soon, unless America begins to dis-arm. The threat is initially brushed off as a hoax by the Administration, however, plans are actually being readied to storm the tugboat the terrorists are operating from, and where the bomb is allegedly housed. All this horror takes place in the context of a CNN-like broadcast. A television journalist and cameraman are abducted by the terrorists as a means of communicating with the authorities. From the anchor desk, the "Dean" of RBS News, and the female counterpart Sylvia, give a play-by-play, and color commentary, of the eminent destruction of an American city. Embedded within this intense drama, is also a satirical dark comedy inwhere we see many of the news staff being more concerned about thier appearence, than the tragedy they're about to cover. Very interesting characters populate the terrorist ensemble; a naive Social Worker, Military Strategist, Vietnam nut, Poet, Nuclear Scientist, and a shared hunger for peace; and power. The tension mounts quickly both in the ship, and in the Government. A devastating ending serves as a distasteful desert. Shattering.