A Few Days In September review

Cinema’s latest attempt to make sense of 9/11 focuses on the days leading up to the Twin Towers tragedy. Juliette Binoche plays a French government agent called upon to fetch the daughter of elusive CIA man Nick Nolte, who may (or may not) be involved in a conspiracy to profit from the impending terror attacks. Argentinean writer-turned-director Santiago Amigorena never gets a handle on the movie’s intended tone, resorting to intrusive camera trickery or unnecessary violence to bridge glaring gaps in the globe-hopping plotline. Buckling under the weight of its own hubris, the potentially scandalous premise ends up feeling like a Dan Brown knock-off. At least John Turturro cuts through the confusion, hamming away as a hitman who spouts cod-philosophical verse at his victims.