Plot Synopsis

Based on Lawrence Wright's Pulitzer Prize-winning book of the same name, THE LOOMING TOWER is a 10-episode limited drama series that traces the rising threat of Osama Bin Laden and Al-Qaeda in the late 1990s and how the rivalry between the FBI and CIA during that time may have inadvertently set the path for the tragedy of 9/11. The series follows members of the I-49 Squad in New York and Alec Station in Washington, D.C., the counter-terrorism divisions of the FBI and CIA, respectively, as they travel the world fighting for ownership of information while seemingly working toward the same goal -- trying to prevent an imminent attack on U.S. soil.

John O'Neill, the bullheaded chief of the I-49 Squad, is rightly convinced that the U.S. has been targeted for an attack by Al-Qaeda. He and his protege, Muslim-American FBI agent Ali Soufan, face deliberately insufficient cooperation from other organizations within the federal government. Specifically, their counterparts within the CIA, led by the frequently antagonistic Martin Schmidt. Convinced he's by far the smartest person in the room, Schmidt, along with his Alec Station protege, Diane Marsh, opt to disobey Presidential orders and horde information from the FBI under the misguided notion that the CIA is the only government agency equipped to battle potential terror threats from abroad. O'Neill and Soufan travel overseas to investigate the bombings of the Nairobi Embassy, Dar es Salaam Embassy and the U.S.S. Cole, while interrogating terrorists in Europe, North Africa and the Middle East, gathering important intelligence piece by piece. Meanwhile in D.C., Schmidt and Marsh are given critical information of their own -- the knowledge that known Al-Qaeda members, whom O'Neill and Soufan are trying to track down, have entered the United States. Working with Schmidt to keep that information private, Marsh rises up through the ranks of Alec Station. Soufan also rises through the FBI, using his intimate knowledge of Islam and Arabic to form bonds with foreign intelligence agents and suspects alike. Schmidt and O'Neill however, experience individual professional demise due to their own aggressive stubbornness.
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Warner Bros. Home Entertainment provided me with a free copy of the DVD I reviewed in this Blog Post. The opinions I share are my own.

On Tuesday, September 18, 2018 Warner Bros. Home Entertainment released THE LOOMING TOWER on Blu-ray + Digital and DVD with all 10 powerful episodes + must see behind-the-scenes bonus content. This gripping limited series traces the rising threat of Osama Bin Laden and Al-Qaeda in the late 1990s and how at the time, the FBI and the CIA may have inadvertently set the path for the tragedy of 9/11. The series follows members of the I-49 Squad in New York and Alec Station in Washington D.C., the counter terrorism divisions of the FBI and CIA, respectively, as they travel the world fighting for ownership of information while seemingly working toward the same goal -- trying to prevent an imminent terrorist attack on U.S. soil. Jeff Daniels stars as I-49 Squad chief John O'Neill who faces a deliberate lack of cooperation from other intelligence organizations within the federal government, after he's convinced the United States has been targeted for an attack by Al-Qaeda. His counterpart within the CIA, the frequently antagonistic Martin Schmidt (Peter Sarsgaard), assumes the CIA is the only government agency equipped to battle potential terror threats from abroad. He disobeys presidential orders and purposely keeps information from the FBI. Although the goal of both organizations is the same, preventing a terrorist attack from happening in the U.S., the competitive nature between the two agencies and their inability to work with one another, may have given Al-Qaeda operatives in the U.S. the opportunity to put their devastating plan in motion. With an outstanding cast and sharp storytelling this political thriller is not to be missed. Buy and binge now! (Click the red "Buy DVDs" button on this page).

BLU-RAY AND DVD SPECIAL FEATURES
- Across Three Continents: Creating The Looming Tower (new featurette) - From New York to Morocco to Johannesburg, THE LOOMING TOWER production team went to great lengths to recreate and film the series as accurately as possible.
- Ali Soufan: In His Own Words (new featurette) - Former FBI Special Agent Ali Soufan reveals his personal American story and shares memories of his mentor John O'Neill.
- The Looming Tower: Divided We Fail (new featurette) - THE LOOMING TOWER author Lawrence Wright, Former FBI Special Agent Ali Soufan, Executive Producers Dan Futterman and Alex Gibney, and the cast explore the complicated relationship between the FBI and CIA in the years leading up to 9/11.
- The Complexities of Character (new featurette) - The cast of THE LOOMING TOWER reveal their motivations and approach to playing their complicated roles.
- Audio Commentaries - The Creators take the audience inside the creative process of creating the Pilot and Finale episodes.