Netflix Turning Point: 9/11 and the War on Terror boasts an impressive 83% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, but does this five-hour documentary series truly deliver the comprehensive analysis it promises? While the series tackles sensitive subject matter that many find difficult to watch, I found several concerning issues beneath its polished production.
The documentary attempts to cover everything from the 1980s origins of the attacks through the September 11 tragedy itself, all the way to the 2021 events preceding the US withdrawal from Afghanistan. However, this turning point 9/11 series leaves critical gaps in its storytelling. Despite its generally favorable reviews, this Netflix 9/11 documentary offers only a single congressman challenging Bush’s broad War on Terror mandate, raising questions about its balanced representation. Furthermore, across the five episodes of Turning Point: 9/11 and the War on Terror, we see little evidence of robust strategy analysis over the 19-year period following the Authorization for Use of Military Force (AUMF) enacted by Congress on September 18, 2001.
In this article, I’ll examine what went wrong with this widely acclaimed series and explore the perspectives that were notably absent from its narrative.
The Illusion of Balance in Storytelling
When director Brian Knappenberger was asked about his approach to the series, he emphasized that “narrative was important” and that “propaganda has always been a part of war”. This statement ironically highlights the fundamental contradiction within Netflix’s Turning Point: 9/11 and the War on Terror.
Claims of neutrality vs. actual narrative tone
The documentary presents itself as a balanced examination of post-9/11 events. According to some critics, the series “remains an upsetting, enraging, and largely even-handed history lesson about the past two decades”. Nevertheless, a closer look reveals a calculated approach to storytelling that undermines this neutrality claim.
In fact, the documentary frequently operates like “a monumental exercise in the dissemination of US militarist propaganda“. Its approach involves “both selective admissions and falsifications”, creating a distorted picture of historical events. The series “freely discusses the crimes of American imperialism, provided they took place years ago,” while presenting current US foreign policy in a more favorable light.
Selective criticism of political figures
One of the most glaring issues in the Turning Point 9/11 series is its uneven treatment of political figures across party lines. As one reviewer noted, “They seem to pick bad guys. For example, Bush is evil, bad, arrogant, and destructive. Obama is making difficult decisions. Trump is a hateful, ignorant bigot who supports the Taliban. Biden is just pulling out troops”.
Consequently, this creates a narrative where “Bush and Trump are making gigantic mistakes and getting people killed. Obama and Biden are kinda just unlucky and don’t make any big decisions”. The documentary becomes noticeably “weaker as it moves to Obama and Afghanistan, as it doesn’t dare or want to be as critical towards his goals and politics”. This selective criticism undermines the documentary’s credibility as a historical record.
Lack of diverse ideological voices
Beyond that, the Netflix 9/11 documentary fails to incorporate sufficient perspectives from those most affected by the War on Terror. One critic pointed out that “the documentary focuses far too much on U.S. voices and only politicians in Afghanistan, not so much victims or survivors of the war in Afghanistan”.
To clarify, while the producers claimed that “we did feature all those diverse voices” to create “a more robust and well-rounded picture of Afghanistan”, the reality falls short of this assertion. The documentary lacks the depth of international perspective needed to fully understand the global impact of these events.
The turning point: 9/11 and the war on terror series ultimately creates an illusion of balance through careful selection of which truths to tell and which voices to amplify. For those seeking a truly comprehensive understanding of these complex events, supplementary research becomes essential.
Emotional Weight vs. Historical Accuracy
The documentary begins with haunting images of 9/11 that immediately grip viewers emotionally. Throughout the five episodes of Netflix’s Turning Point: 9/11 and the War on Terror, director Brian Knappenberger relies heavily on emotional imagery to drive the narrative, yet often at the expense of historical depth.
Powerful 9/11 footage used without deeper context
The series excels at assembling “chilling archival recordings” that “chronicle the chaos that unfolded during the 9/11 attacks”. Undeniably, these scenes are powerful—showing firefighters searching through rubble and the immediate aftermath of the attacks. Nevertheless, the documentary falls short of connecting these emotional moments to the broader historical developments leading up to 9/11. Instead of using this footage as a foundation for deeper analysis, the series sometimes leans into what one critic called “a uniquely televised tragedy”, capitalizing on the emotional impact without sufficiently exploring root causes.
Veteran and survivor stories lacked follow-up
Additionally, the turning point 9/11 series briefly mentions that “one in six veterans from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan was suffering from PTSD”. Yet it fails to thoroughly examine these stories beyond their initial emotional impact. Unlike other documentaries that “tell the stories of seven children who never met their fathers because of the terrorist attacks” or explore “uncertainty and fear among the Afghan people following the U.S. withdrawal”, this Netflix 9/11 documentary often introduces powerful survivor testimonies only to abandon them without meaningful resolution or analysis.
No exploration of global reactions to 9/11
Perhaps most significantly, the turning point: 9/11 and the war on terror largely overlooks international perspectives on these events. The documentary misses the opportunity to show how “the Nation drew strength and unity from its citizens as well as the world’s citizens” or how “condolences arrived on letters, postcards, sympathy journals” from “over 100 countries“. From Africa’s “outpouring of sympathy” to Asia, where “people expressed their support, love, unity, strength, and sympathy in letters and condolence books”, these global dimensions remain unexplored.
Throughout the five episodes, the series primarily frames 9/11 as an “exclusively New York event, an overshadowing of the Pentagon crash and Shanksville deaths rarely challenged by TV memorials”. This narrow focus ultimately limits viewers’ understanding of how these events reverberated globally, creating what one critic called “an unfortunate facet of 9/11 remembrance” that disconnects the tragedy from its worldwide impact.
Shallow Treatment of Complex Policies
Netflix’s Turning Point: 9/11 and the War on Terror attempts to tackle the complex policies that emerged after September 11th, yet fails to provide the depth these topics deserve. Throughout the five episodes, viewers get only surface-level explanations of pivotal national security decisions that fundamentally altered American society.
Oversimplified portrayal of the Patriot Act
The documentary briefly mentions that President Bush signed the Patriot Act on October 26, 2001, yet barely scratches the surface of its far-reaching implications. Additionally, the series glosses over how the Act sparked controversy for targeting Muslim communities who became suspects of terrorism. Equally concerning, the documentary provides minimal context about the Bush Administration’s secretive Stellar Wind program for surveillance on metadata collection—a program that directly violated the Fourth Amendment.
No real analysis of CIA and FBI failures
Though the series touches on intelligence failures, it misses the opportunity to examine their structural causes. Essentially, the documentary ignores how the CIA’s hiring policies created a homogeneous workforce that lacked diversity. By 1967, fewer than 20 African Americans worked among 12,000 non-clerical CIA employees, creating dangerous blind spots in intelligence gathering. Moreover, the series fails to acknowledge that until 1975, US intelligence agencies “openly barred the employment of homosexuals”.
Besides diversity issues, the documentary overlooks the lack of qualified personnel who could infiltrate terrorist organizations or analysts who could decode surveillance information. These critical staffing shortcomings remain unexamined, alongside the absence of agents skilled in Arabic languages—a factor that significantly hampered intelligence efforts.
Missed a chance to explore the media’s role in shaping public opinion
Perhaps most disappointing is the documentary’s failure to analyze how media coverage influenced public perception after 9/11. The series omits that “tens of millions of Americans clustered in front of television sets, witnessing the horrifying terrorist attacks”, yet doesn’t explore how journalists struggled with “their role as objective journalists and their role as citizens of a nation under attack”.
Furthermore, the documentary ignores how favorable public attitudes toward media “increased sharply right after September 11, but subsequently declined”. This missed opportunity to examine the media’s influence represents another instance where Turning Point: 9/11 and the war on terror prioritizes emotional impact over critical analysis, leaving viewers with an incomplete understanding of how Americans processed these events through the lens of media narratives.
Inconsistent Political Critique
One of the most revealing aspects of Netflix’s Turning Point: 9/11 and the War on Terror is its uneven treatment of different presidential administrations. As I watched all five episodes, a pattern of selective political criticism became increasingly apparent.
Bush and Trump heavily criticized
The documentary presents former President Bush in a predominantly negative light. Particularly telling is how the series preserves footage from May 1, 2003, showing Bush on the USS Abraham Lincoln claiming “mission accomplished” in Iraq, which the documentary characterizes as “mere publicity stunts followed by thousands more US troops killed in action”.
Similarly, Donald Trump receives harsh treatment throughout. The documentary portrays him as a figure who “belongs to an extraordinarily small faction of people who blame 9/11 on George Bush”. His statements that “the World Trade Center came down during his [Bush’s] time” are framed as extreme views rather than legitimate criticism. Yet ironically, the documentary itself criticizes Bush extensively for similar failures.
Obama and Biden were portrayed more favorably
Strikingly, this critical lens seems to soften considerably when examining other administrations. While Bush and Trump are portrayed as making “gigantic mistakes and getting people killed,” Obama and Biden are characterized as “kinda just unlucky and don’t make any big decisions”.
The documentary’s tone shifts noticeably when transitioning from Trump to Biden’s administration. Although Biden’s “inaccurate assessments from April 24 are preserved in the final episode”, they receive far less critical examination than similar statements from Bush or Trump. The documentary also fails to critically analyze Obama’s role in continuing many Bush-era policies, instead framing the Afghanistan conflict under Obama as “a good war helping people”.
Lack of accountability across all administrations
What’s ultimately missing is consistent accountability across presidential tenures. Although the series “traces the U.S. response to the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks and the devastating consequences across four presidencies”, it fails to apply equal scrutiny to each administration’s role in perpetuating the War on Terror.
The documentary neglects to thoroughly examine how policies like surveillance and military interventions continued relatively unchanged across administrations. Certainly, the series could have offered a more balanced analysis of how “the U.S. response to the Sept. 11 attacks” created “an era of fear, division and mistrust” regardless of which party controlled the White House.
Rather than present a comprehensive critique of American foreign policy decisions spanning two decades, Turning Point: 9/11 and the war on terror offers what one reviewer called “an honest criticism of the nation’s apparent lack of direction in Iraq and Afghanistan” that nonetheless favors certain political figures over others.
What the Documentary Could Have Done Better
Beyond its production value, Netflix’s Turning Point: 9/11 and the War on Terror missed crucial opportunities to deepen viewers’ understanding of this pivotal historical moment.
Include more international perspectives
The documentary was criticized for its “orientalist view of Muslims,” yet failed to showcase how the global community responded to 9/11. Indeed, the series could have highlighted how condolences arrived from over 100 countries, demonstrating worldwide solidarity during America’s darkest hour.
Deeper dive into post-9/11 Islamophobia
Unfortunately, the documentary barely scratches the surface of how “Islamophobia is a convenient tool” and “an ideological formation of U.S. Empire”. This superficial treatment overlooks how post-9/11 fear redefined “who counts as a real American” while eroding “basic human rights and civil liberties”.
More focus on long-term consequences for Afghan civilians
The series neglects that “the number of civilians killed in Afghanistan in 2018 is on track to be one of the highest death tolls in the war”. Likewise, it omits that “tens of thousands of civilians may have died in retaking Mosul,” whose “bodies have likely not been recovered”.
Explore the role of whistleblowers and journalists
Regrettably, the documentary failed to feature perspectives like Daniel Ellsberg, who leaked the Pentagon Papers. Such omissions prevent viewers from understanding the vital role whistleblowers played in challenging government narratives throughout the War on Terror.
Final Thoughts
Dick Cheney’s haunting words about embracing “the dark side” undoubtedly capture what Netflix’s Turning Point: 9/11 and the War on Terror ultimately fails to address – the documentary shows America’s post-9/11 descent into “the dark side” through “rendition programs, black sites, Guantanamo, torture, deceit,” yet never places these actions in a proper historical context.
Specifically, the series avoids asking whether these practices truly marked a “turning point” or merely continued pre-existing patterns. As one critic noted, the documentary never questions: “Did the US not resort to ‘the dark side’ before 9/11?” This omission reveals the Netflix 9/11 documentary’s reluctance to examine deeper continuities in American policy.
Perhaps most telling is the series’ silence on symbolic connections between past and present imperialism. Consider that the coded message confirming bin Laden’s death was “Geronimo” – a parallel the documentary never explores. Such continuities between the 19th-century and contemporary empires remain “firmly off the agenda” throughout all turning points of the 9/11 episodes.
In fact, the series “accepts far too many of the premises of the ‘war on terror'” while presenting itself as critical. This approach creates what one viewer called a “disillusioning series about how good intentions can have terrible outcomes” – a partial truth that leaves critical historical questions unasked and unanswered.
FAQs on Netflix Turning Point: 9/11 and the War on Terror
Q1. What is Netflix Turning Point about?
Netflix Turning Point: 9/11 and the War on Terror is a five-part documentary that covers the origins of the September 11 attacks, the tragedy itself, and the U.S. response in the following two decades, including the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Q2. Is Netflix Turning Point historically accurate?
While the series utilizes strong archival footage and interviews, many critics argue that it lacks balance, particularly in its treatment of different U.S. administrations and its limited international perspectives.
Q3. Does Netflix Turning Point show both U.S. and Afghan perspectives?
The documentary heavily emphasizes U.S. political voices and only briefly features Afghan politicians, leaving out deeper insights from Afghan civilians, victims, and survivors of the War on Terror.
Q4. Why has Netflix Turning Point received mixed reviews?
The series has been praised for its emotional storytelling and visuals, but criticized for selective criticism of presidents, shallow policy analysis, and missed opportunities to include global perspectives on 9/11.
Q5. Should I watch Netflix Turning Point if I want to learn about 9/11?
Yes, it provides a useful overview for general audiences. However, for a deeper and more balanced understanding of the War on Terror, it’s recommended to read additional sources alongside watching the series.