Common Sense Media Review
By Barbara Shulgasser-Parker
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Docu revisits domestic terror attack; violence, language.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 14+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Watch
Videos and Photos
The Oklahoma City Bombing: American Terror
Parent and Kid Reviews
What's the Story?
On April 19, 1995, the Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City was blown up by a disaffected, ex-military, White male, Timothy McVeigh. THE OKLAHOMA CITY BOMBING: AMERICAN TERROR recounts how he was captured within a day of the crime through luck and the work of the kind of local and federal authorities McVeigh so denigrated. This event killed 168 people, 19 of them children. It's now thought of as one of the worst terrorist attacks in the history of the United States, and certainly the worst committed by homegrown terrorists. McVeigh had always been disconnected, but his stint in the military, which he hated because it restricted his freedom to act as he pleased, further alienated him and turned him into someone paranoid the government would take away his guns. The final straw for him came on April 19, 1993, when federal agents ended a stand-off in Waco, Texas, with the Branch Davidians, an anti-government cult-like group that had amassed an arsenal. Seventy-six died, 20 of them children. McVeigh's attack commemorated the anniversary of the previous tragedy with a new one. Victims recall the horror. One woman describes being "buried alive" and being rescued by courageous first responders after five hours.
Is It Any Good?
The Oklahoma City Bombing: American Terror is a deft round-up of the day of the bombing and the swift round-up of the perpetrators. Interviews are well done with first responders, with law enforcement members who participated and, movingly, with both a woman who was rescued out of the rubble and vowed to change the way she lived as a result of the experience, and the mother of a child who died in the building's day care center. The mom notably didn't want the openly remorseless McVeigh to receive the death penalty, which was ultimately carried out, because so many people had to live with the terrible consequences of his actions but he would not. What this piece gets right is its refusal to weigh in on McVeigh's motivations. It lets McVeigh's own words and lack of empathy speak for themselves.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the way the city and state responded with a collective empathy and organized helpfulness after the devastating attack.
How does the movie portray the police, FBI, and other first responders? What are some things they did that seemed routine? What things seemed surprising?
Many first responders are shown to have highly emotional responses to the devastation. How do you think you would react if you were on the scene?
Movie Details
- On DVD or streaming : April 18, 2025
- Director : Greg Tillman
- Studio : Netflix
- Genre : Documentary
- Character Strengths : Empathy
- Run time : 82 minutes
- MPAA rating :
- Last updated : May 4, 2025
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