The Path to 9/11

It's the best made-for-TV movie in years.

Powerfully acted, artfully produced and shot like a truly riveting page-turner.

An unsparing, and at times hyperbolic, portrait of bureaucratic turf wars, buck passing and complacency.

One could never call "The Path to 9/11 " poorly filmed and amateurishly acted. Just questionably written.

The six-hour film plays like a 9/11 version of "Syriana" or "Traffic," replete with ultra-close-ups and so much shaky, hand-held footage it can feel like being led around the world, half-drunk and half-blind.

The miniseries asks a lot of patience on the part of viewers and gives too little in return.

"Path" is the dullest, worst-shot TV movie since ABC's disastrous "Ten Commandments" remake. It substitutes shaky handheld cameras and dumb dialogue for craftsmanship. It could not be more amateurish or poorly constructed unless someone had forgotten to light the sets.