Since the tragic events of 9/11 over 5 years ago, Hollywood has tried to stray away from films revolving around the events because of the sensitive subject matter it entails. With the exceptions of documentaries, we have had a few high profile films such as World Trade Center, United 93 and the recent film Reign Over Me. For the most part, the films have covered the heroism of the events rather than the atmosphere and tension the events have created even many years after they occurred. I think now Hollywood is attempting to tell stories with post-9/11 subject matter. The upcoming John Cusack film Grace is Gone deals with the events of the Iraq war and the loss of a loved one. For the most part, these films have a very safe subject matter and will likely not offend anyone because of the universal appeal of the story. However, director Jeff Renfroe has decided to take a different angle with his new film Civic Duty.

The film proposes an interesting idea: what if you suspected that one of your neighbors was a terrorist? Would you act on it or would you just ignore something you may think is suspicious behavior? Over the past 6 years, I don't think I've seen any films that truly get down to the gritty aspects of what 9/11 has done to the atmosphere of the country. I believe director Jeff Renfroe does a fantastic job capturing the tension and paranoia that many Americans face in a post-9/11 world.

The film follows Terry Allen (Peter Krause) who was recently laid off from his job as an accountant. He and his wife Marla (Kari Matchett) have dreams of one day owning their own home but that dream comes to a halt as Terry now is unemployed. At the same time, Terry and Marla notice that they have a new neighbor who appears to be of Middle Eastern descent that just moved in. After a few days of having lived in the new apartment complex, this new neighbor appears to be involved in suspicious activity as he takes out the trash at 4 in the morning, works at a place with only middle eastern people and seems to have a liking for Marla. One thing leads to another and Terry quickly begins to suspect that this Middle Eastern man is in fact working for terrorists.

I think what makes Civic Duty such a surprisingly good film is the way that Renfroe builds up the tension over the course of the film. In the opening, Terry is shown as man who is not very likable at all. He quickly scrutinizes a bank teller for making a simple mistake and we get an overall sense that he is an unhappy man thanks to being laid off recently. In the first 10 minutes or so, I felt that Peter Krause was heavily miscast as the lead in the film. It felt as if Krause was trying to hard (which I still think he was) and his performance feels very forced. However, as the film progresses, Krause gives a very good performance as he captures the paranoia of Terry fantastically. Also standing out are fantastic performances from Kari Matchett as Marla, Richard Schiff as Agent Hilary and Khaled Abol Naga as the new suspicious neighbor Gabe.

I must admit that I did not hear anything about this film at all and had no idea who was in it or who the director was. Nevertheless, the cast and crew do an amazing job with capturing the atmosphere of the post-9/11 world that all Americans deal with today. Renfroe's film is the ideal independent film. It has a small cast of only 4 or 5 and it is mainly shot in one location. The film is also stylishly shot by Renfroe and cinematographer Dylan MacLeod. The handheld camerawork and claustrophobic atmosphere all add to the tension of the film even more.

While the film does have a slow first act, it quickly builds up tension and as a result, the last 2/3 of the film are truly intense, gritty and above all, believable. Abol Naga and Krause play off one another perfectly in the final stages of the film. Renfroe also does a fantastic job of creating sympathy and defends both sides so it is hard to tell which direction the film goes in by the final act.

Renfroe should also no doubt be applauded for taking a different approach to post-9/11 filmmaking. This film is not one that will appeal to all audiences and I think it is safe to say that it could easily offend more than it could touch emotionally. The film also raises more questions than it answers. I found the ending to be fantastic and I was truly surprised that a film like this was even made given the climate the country is in now. For that reason, I think the film may be a hard sell for studios. Right now, the film has a scheduled release date for May 4 but only in a limited release. While Andrew Joiner's script is very strong for the most part, I still feel as though it needed one more re-write or adjustment before it was filmed. Had the script had a stronger first act and if Krause's performance would have been fine tuned in the opening 10 minutes or so, I truly think this film would have strong enough for a wide release. I also think that the ending needed to be tweaked as well. Some of the events feel forced so because of that, the film is somewhat hurt. Nevertheless, the film is still a flawed but very good piece of filmmaking and is truly the best surprise of the year thus far. If the film happens to play somewhere close to your city, go watch it. If not, definitely give it a rent when it is released on DVD.