A GOOD AMERICAN (Palm Springs International Film Festival, Palm Springs, California USA 2016)

Ben Meyers’ rating: 4.6|5.0 Starsìììì

A Good American—documentary—examines Department of Defense funding decisions concerning Trailblazer and ThinThread, two computer programs designed to ensure national security by analyzing Internet data flow. The documentary is well-done with good interviews. Well-informed individuals, directly involved in these events, some of whom resigned their positions due to decisions they felt were ill-advised in protection of United States interests, lead the main body of the documentary.

Film Poster Courtesy of Google Images

Storyline

Three weeks before 9/11, General Michael Hayden shelves ThinThread, an economical, non-invasive program designed to analyze Internet information flow. Analysts who quit the National Security Agency due to concerns about Trailblazer, the competing program, discuss decisions made and the implications those decisions had for the events leading to 9/11.

Additional Thanks

Thank You to Director Friedrich Moser for directing efforts. Thank you to Executive Producers Dave Lugo, Peter Janecek, and Wes Hull for making the film possible. Additional characters/cast include: Himself (William Binney), Herself (Jesselyn Radack), Himself (Kirk Wiebe), Herself (Diane Roarck), Himself (Edward Loomis), Himself (Thomas Drake), Young Bill Binney (Christopher Beer), Young Ed Loomis (Gregor Huter), and Young Kirk Wiebe (Mars Mohr).

Buy a ticket? Yes? No? Maybe?

Yes. This is an informative film and a great watch to see how the story unfolds.

Video Critique Available Here:

Ben Meyers