Who Killed John O’Neill: Two reviews




Available online at: http://wkjo.com/

Synopsis, from the director:
One Actor, One Room, Seven Characters: 9/11.

Traumatized by the September 11th attacks, one man struggles to dismantle official history, at the expense of his sanity and even his life. Grappling with multiple realities - and multiple personalities - he must retreat into his mind in pursuit of the truth. In a fictional film about non-fictional events, there is a place where belief and faith will blind you, where nothing is sacred, and to get there all you have to do is ask:

"Who Killed John O'Neill?"

Starring Ryan Thruston as
Man
Paranoid
Cynic
Laptop
Philosopher
History
Produced and Directed by Ty Rauber.
Written and Performed by Ryan Thurston.
Cinematography by Ty Rauber.
Edited by Ty Rauber and Ryan Thurston.
Visual Direction by Dante Ferrarini.
Music by Brett Rauber.
Audio Mastering by Jeff Lipton, Peerless Mastering.

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Who Killed John O’Neill: A Review by Steve Culver

In the 2006 Film “Who Killed John O’Neill” which was produced and directed by Ty Rauber, written and performed by Ryan Thurston one is left with more questions than answers concerning the events of 9/11 and the multi-faceted conspiracy necessary to carry out this event. One such question is who did kill John O’Neill? After masterfully introducing this query and reinforcing the irony that O’Neill, who spent a good part of his career pursuing OBL and other terrorists, was taken out, in this, the granddaddy of all terrorist attacks, the question is never fully answered. While the conclusion could be drawn that Jerome M. Hauer is ultimately responsible for placing O’Neill at the right place at the right time (or from Mr. O’Neill’s perspective the wrong place at the wrong time) the evidence is never supplied.

Although they give a fairly detailed background of O’Neill’s anti-terrorism work, I wanted more information on the events just prior to 9/11 that precipitated his resignation from the Bush administration. The film shines a light down the oft neglected rabbit trail of corporate and government malfeasance within our evolving corporate/facist police state. Albeit a strobe light that is at one moment comforting and hypnotic and the very next irritating and disconcerting. One is left breathless at the depth and inter-connectedness of this conspiracy, or as Scooter Libby might say "... because their roots connect them". The term used in the film is corporate fundamentalism.

Watching this film without the benefit of a pause and rewind button would soon leave the viewer lost in the myriad flood of information which is often linked through supposition and conjecture. I quickly felt that what I was watching was the first 9/11 art film, as opposed to the more straight forward and often sterile documentaries that proliferate the alternative media genre. The viewer is supplied with little hard evidence and documentation and the onus is put upon us to take notes and follow-up with our own research.

In my humble opinion where this film really shines is in the schizophrenic portrayal of Thurston's characters. He masterfully portrays the progression and the pain of awakening that every truth seeker experiences when coming to the realization that the world is not a safe place and that our government will kill us in the blink of an eye, if it suits their needs. The denial, fear, anger, and paranoia are all right there in your face. Thurstons characters and the stark setting of the researchers obsession ring true. The picture painted could be used by the uninformed to reinforce the perception of the stereotypical “crazy” conspiracy theorist but to make such an assessment one would have to completely discount the whirlwind of history, connections, and unanswered questions that bombard you throughout this film.

If I had been watching this film alone I probably would have turned it off after ten minutes or so but after viewing it in its entirety I will watch it again. It has a disturbing, nagging quality that sticks in the back of your mind. Is it a distraction or misinformation? I don’t know. It appears to be a fine piece of work that blends art and conspiracy, fact and feelings into a tangled web of what our lives have become. These gentlemen are to be commended for their work.

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Noir 9-11

Who Killed John O'Neill?

I don't know, in fact that's a little like asking who started WWI. You need context, you need a timeline, you need history.

This is what independent filmmakers Ryan Thurston and Ty Rauber have set out to accomplish.

Shot in Black and White, color and monochrome, set in a single claustrophobic apartment with a wall chart, actor Ryan Thurston takes you down the rabbit hole.

For any of you who have gone feral and searched for your own answers some of this will be knowingly familiar. Thurston fractures into 6 characters, (some taken from other films; Kevin Costner in JFK, Brad Pitt in 12 Monkeys)- add a disembodied voice on the phone. This is layered with voice overs, split screens and fades. The resulting style of the film has caused some I know to loose interest. That was my reaction when I first downloaded it and had it playing in the background. I was irritated, but upon a fair viewing and really listening to the flood of facts and information there is no reason for me to dispute the technique. It serves the dialog, the internal debate... the staring out the window.

I'm with my friend Steve when he says this is the first 9-11 Art film. Going beyond WTC film clips, diagrams, endless Google searches, and by combining the individual personal process of the character "Man" with the torrent of information you've got a Noir 9-11.

What about the documentation? Well, Google it. There is another film about John O'Neill. PBS's Frontline has it's own chart which starts with the hijackers and goes down. Rauber and Thurston's "Who Killed John O'Neill?" starts in a similar fashion but goes up the line, convincingly filling in some of the inexplicable omissions in the PBS film and illustrating what Thurston calls 'Fundamentalist Corporatism".

-- Jueri Svjagintsev


PBS Chart:




Thurston's Chart:


Posted: Mon - June 12, 2006 at 10:25 AM            

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