The Cult of the Suicide Bomber

2005
7.2| 1h36m| NA| en| More Info
Released: 01 January 2005 Released
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Their devastating and deadly actions punctuate the world news almost nightly, yet they remain faceless figures amidst the violence and turmoil that engulf the Middle East. And, whether it’s the C4-laden martyrs of Hezbollah or the car bombing insurgents of Iraq, what could possibly compel a suicide bomber to voluntarily take their own lives, along with those of hundreds of innocent victims? There is perhaps no one better equipped to investigate this terrifying practice than Robert Baer, a decorated, former Middle East CIA Agent and the man George Clooney’s character was based on in the Academy Award®-winning film, Syriana.

Genre

Documentary

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Director

David Batty, Kevin Toolis

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The Cult of the Suicide Bomber Audience Reviews

LastingAware The greatest movie ever!
WillSushyMedia This movie was so-so. It had it's moments, but wasn't the greatest.
Ezmae Chang This is a small, humorous movie in some ways, but it has a huge heart. What a nice experience.
Sarita Rafferty There are moments that feel comical, some horrific, and some downright inspiring but the tonal shifts hardly matter as the end results come to a film that's perfect for this time.
runamokprods The film makes some thought provoking moral distinctions between suicide bombing as a weapon of war for those without access to high tech weaponry (e.g. would it really be so different if a fighter dropped a bomb on the military convoy from a plane instead of attached to his chest?™) and as a weapon of terror used against civilians. It also does not deny that some who have used it as a weapon have done so after suffering heavy losses from others, instead of simply reducing them to crazy people acting in an irrational vacuum. It traces the roots of martyrdom in Islam back 1400 years, and explains how that history was twisted by the leaders in Iran to justify suicide bombings in spite of strict Islamic laws against suicide. Yet, in spite of the intensity and complexity of the subject, the dramatic, sometimes upsettingly graphic footage, and the somewhat over the top music, it starts to get a little repetitive and flat. And it curiously ignores other historical suicide bombings, like the Japanese Kamikaze WWII pilots, declaring that suicide bombing was "˜invented" by Iran in the war with Iraq.
thisisthis Cult of the Suicide Bomber stands as one of the best documentaries of the last 10 years along with the Power of Nightmares and Bowling for Columbine. The number one thing that makes this great is the access: you get to hear in their own words the thoughts of the failed suicide bombers as well as the families and recruiters of those that were successful. Baer has a laconic, Philip Marlowe delivery and you can tell that this is a subject he his passionate about and willing to take great risks to his safety to explore. Atmospheric, challenging and a rare example of really intelligent television. One criticism is that it would take more than the two programmes so far to actually get to the bottom of this phonomenon and in that sense it is a partial account. Watch it as it is really worthwhile but also read up afterwards.
spartan_diablo first of all i don't believe in the conspiracy theory..but i can not understand the 'intentional' repeated view to the Arabic and/or Muslim as a prepared terrorist from the first moment in his life instead of crying to breath he said death to America. well am not defending my people but i think we need some justice here. all the hate you see in the movie not because of the Islamic clerks control..or the Islamic barbarian nature -as they want you to think-it's simply a reaction for 54 years struggle to get the Palestinian rights back. we can accept Israel as a neighbor..but in return we can't accept that every Arabian house has a victim. the story as in many previous movies & in media told from the end not the start ..if you set back & relax & put it in the action &reaction contest you will be able to figure the general idea of the ultimate fighting is about. another question after all what happen in occupied Palestine is military resistance.. so why all the media & obviously the movie maker insist on covering it from an Islamic point of view while in regard to the brutal fights like in Latin America it's about the liberty & getting red of corruption. as long as the 'western world'keep suffering from myopia in the case of the Arabic character view no one can predict what the ship that carry us all in the unrest future sea where it will land.
Man The documentary, if it is factual and accurate, explains the plight of today's World. It is quite well-paced and it captures the emotions and motives of the suicide bombers and their families. Robert Baer needs to be congratulated for his courage. The scenes depicted in the film were heart-wrenching and pathetic. An entire generation of people have been duped into believing that suicide bombing is the pathway to martyrdom and salvation. However, I am not even trying to blame anyone for this, since it would point to a vicious cycle of blame games. I am not sure of the solution to this problem. But, I can clearly see the reason behind all these problems, Religion. Religion can be a very deceptive tool used by certain people to carry out their interests. The film shows how young kids look up to these suicide bombers as their heroes. I don't see any light ahead of the tunnel, if the cult of the suicide bomber is allowed to sustain and breed.