McVeigh

McVeigh’s ominous atmosphere is omnipresent, clinging to Timothy like a dog to a bone.

These films have sometimes been accused of exploitation, but the time is more than right for a movie like “McVeigh,” which records how its subject’s descent into terrorism was propelled by the ideas of the new right-wing zealotry.

... establishes an underlying tension as it moves toward an inevitable outcome, but doesn’t provide much fresh perspective on the broader underground radicalization of ideological extremists or fringe groups, despite the contemporary parallels.

Mike Ott succeeds in avoiding the glorification of Timothy McVeigh, but in doing so, he also sacrifices emotional investment, resulting in a film that, while thought-provoking, often feels distant and difficult to watch.


McVeigh is a tough sell, and far from “entertaining.” But as a snapshot of a reprehensible human being, it’s an effective and upsetting reflection of the way things were in America, and continue to be.

Well-made, in the sense that the dialogue and behavior is all credible, the performances are good, and the imagery is consistently bleakly handsome.

McVeigh does not portray a ruthless mass murderer as a monster with devil's horns and scales. Director Mike Ott uses subtlety to craft a chilling portrayal of a calculating white supremacist hellbent on causing the most carnage possible.

There’s a fascinating movie to be made about this period and these characters, but Ott's telling is simply not up to the task.

McVeigh is a well-made piece, but its lack of proving its worth as a version of this story to tell (either as prescient or cautionary) sinks it. We need more than his readily available and presumed process. We watch the news.

Ott’s interest is not in creating an accurate depiction of exactly what happened in the run-up to the Oklahoma City bombing, but rather in exploring the thought processes behind it.