The Hamburg Cell (2004)

A fictionalized account of the September 11 hijackers.

Director:

Antonia Bird

Writers:

Ronan Bennett, Alice Perman

Stars:

Karim Saleh, Maral Kamel, Agni Scott

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Karim Saleh	...	Ziad Jarrah
Maral Kamel	...	Mohammed Atta (as Kamel)
Agni Scott	...	Aysel (as Agni Tsangaridou)
Omar Berdouni	...	Ramzi bin al Shibh
Adnan Maral	...	Marwan Shehhi
Kamel Boutros	...	Mohammed Atta (as Kamel)
Tamer Doghem	...	Zacarias Moussaoui
Khalid Laith	...	Abdul Aziz AlOmari
Nasser Memarzia	...	Assem
Omar El-Saeidi	...	Said al Ghamdi
Bassem Breish	...	Yasser
Mark Clifton	...	Flight Simulation Instructor
Navid Navid	...	Salim (as Navíd Akhavan)
Joel Kirby	...	FBI Agent
Clayton Nemrow	...	Pan Am Instructor

Storyline

Ziad Jarrah, a young Lebonese man from a good family goes to Germany to attend college and starts dating a Turkish girl named Aysel. Although not very religious and accustomed to Western ways, Ziad becomes "brothers" with some fundamentalist Muslims and is slowly drawn into becoming "a Good Muslim". Mohamed Atta and others instill Ziad with a hatred of Jews and "Infidels", which leads to a desire for Jihad and martyrdom. He moves to Hamburg to study aeronautical engineering, attends an Al-Qaeda training camp in Afghanistan, and deceives his girlfriend and family about his involvement. He eventually attends flight school in Florida with Atta and others, waiting for and preparing for "the big wedding" (the 9/11 attack). Meanwhile, US government and law enforcement officials fail to act despite believing that a major terrorist attack is imminent, and despite noticing a number of suspicious persons involved in flight training.

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Plot Keywords:

muslim | terrorist | martyrdom | flight school | hijacker | 

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Genres:

Drama | War

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Did You Know?

Trivia

Brooklyn, New York, hardcore band, Most Precious Blood sample this movie at the end of their song "Driving Angry"

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Goofs

When Zaid Jarrah is stopped by the Police he is supposed to be in Maryland, but if you look behind the officer you will see a sign for 57th Ave Red Road which is in Miami.

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Quotes

Ziad Jarrah: [On a cell phone] I'm at the departure lounge.
Marwan Shehhi: Me too.
Ziad Jarrah: Our time has come at last...

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Soundtracks

Dramarama
Written by Nick Phillips
Performed by Boxsaga

User Reviews

Excellent chronicle, non-inflammatory except to the most extreme viewer

Dramatisation by renowned filmmaker Antonia Bird of the characters and events involved in the 9/11 attacks. The approach is very laid back, is statedly on the basis of three years research and 'known facts and events.' so is something of a chronicle. It avoids demising the hijackers (so such a film could probably never have been made in America) and Bird points out that not only were they real people, intelligent people, who devoutly believed what they were doing was the right thing, but that it is important for us to understand that and the how and the why. We see the main character as a highly intelligent man, seeking to become a better person by becoming a better Muslim, and thence drawn into the training group. Other factors like the American influence in Palestine (central in most Middle-East Muslims' minds) are mentioned briefly, but the story develops in a natural way - a young man joining those prepared to fight for Islam and 'do something worthwhile'. He switches studies to go to flight school and has perfect skills at 'blending' with westerners. The film is unsensational, but without proselytising for either 'side' manages to at least shed some light on the hijackers motives and mentality.

Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English Arabic German

Release Date:

10 January 2005 (USA)

Also Known As:

A hamburgi sejt

Filming Locations:

Central Station, St. Georg, Hamburg, Germany

Company Credits

Production Co:

Mentorn Television, Inner Circle Pictures GmbH, Wildgaze Films

Technical Specs

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1