--- title: "The Looming Tower: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/tv/the-looming-tower/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/tv/the-looming-tower" critics_score: 65 critics_reviews: 13 licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # The Looming Tower (2018): what the critics said Critics' score 65 from 13 reviews: 8 positive, 1 mixed, 4 negative. Most critics find The Looming Tower gripping and worth the time, a thorough and accessible account of the intelligence failures before 11 September that avoids flag-waving. The praise settles on the cast. Tahar Rahim’s Ali Soufan is the performance named most often, admired for its warmth and steadiness, with Jeff Daniels and Peter Sarsgaard commended for the hostility between their FBI and CIA men. Several reviews single out a long interrogation scene as the series at its best, and the restrained handling of the attack itself is repeatedly noted. The reservations are consistent even among admirers: the female characters are thin, the romantic subplots feel routine, and the CIA figures shade towards caricature. The spread is wide. Four reviews are outright negative, with The Ringer calling it a comprehensive failure, Collider arguing it mistakes research for insight, and Vulture faulting it for flattening the ideological conflicts it sets out to explain. ## IndieWire — Ben Travers Rating A-. 26 February 2018. Travers gives the series an enthusiastic verdict, calling it a gripping and indispensable telling of the 9/11 story. He praises the grounded performances, especially Jeff Daniels and Tahar Rahim, alongside the careful direction and period detail. [Read the review](https://www.indiewire.com/criticism/shows/the-looming-tower-review-hulu-tahar-rahim-1201932474/) ## The i Paper — Jeff Robson Rating *****. 28 June 2019. Robson calls the finale devastating and the series a superbly acted, well-scripted, tautly directed drama. He especially praises how the attack and its aftermath are conveyed through restrained scenes and poignant footage rather than CGI. [Read the review](https://inews.co.uk/culture/the-looming-tower-finale-bbc2-review-307544) ## The AV Club — Allison Shoemaker Rating B. 28 February 2018. Shoemaker finds the episode gripping despite predictable scenes, an unnecessary Alec Baldwin appearance, and underdeveloped female characters. She particularly praises the engrossing interrogation-room face-off between Bill Camp and Youssef Berouain. [Read the review](https://www.avclub.com/the-looming-tower-makes-a-few-mistakes-in-the-still-sol-1823401173) ## The Guardian — Jake Nevins Fi1m's normalised score 75/100 (inferred from the text). 27 February 2018. The critic finds the series compelling and thorough, with its familiar ending made gripping by the careful build-up of tension. Daniels and Sarsgaard’s performances, especially their characters’ simmering hostility, stand out, though the women’s storylines feel underdeveloped. [Read the review](https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2018/feb/27/the-looming-tower-review-thorough-thrilling-drama-retells-the-road-to-911) ## The Hollywood Reporter — Daniel Fienberg Fi1m's normalised score 75/100 (inferred from the text). 19 February 2018. Fienberg finds the limited series gripping and historically illuminating, though some of its romantic subplots feel rote and its female characters underdeveloped. He particularly praises Tahar Rahim’s empathetic portrayal of Ali Soufan and the ensemble’s balance. [Read the review](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-reviews/looming-tower-review-1085595/) ## Variety — Maureen Ryan Fi1m's normalised score 75/100 (inferred from the text). 28 February 2018. Ryan finds the series accessible and illuminating, handling its complicated history without triumphalism or oversimplification. She especially praises the human texture of the characters and the cast’s performances, while noting that Soufan’s personal life falls flat. [Read the review](https://variety.com/2018/tv/reviews/looming-tower-hulu-review-9-11-alex-gibney-lawrence-wright-1202712522/) ## Radio Times — Ben Allen Fi1m's normalised score 40/100 (inferred from the text). 1 March 2018. The critic suggests the series struggles to make its strong ingredients add up to a satisfying whole. They praise the combination of Peter Sarsgaard, Jeff Daniels and Michael Stuhlbarg, but say something feels missing. [Read the review](https://www.radiotimes.com/tv/drama/the-looming-tower-amazon-review/) ## Vulture — Matt Zoller Seitz Fi1m's normalised score 35/100 (inferred from the text). 28 February 2018. The critic finds the series engaging at times but ultimately frustrating and not fully realized. He singles out a tense interrogation scene for its performances and emotional complexity, while faulting the series for flattening ideological conflicts and its CIA character. [Read the review](https://www.vulture.com/2018/02/the-looming-tower-hulu-review.html) ## /Film — Chris Evangelista Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 20 February 2018. The critic calls the series engrossing and possibly the first truly great new TV series of 2018. They single out its relentless pacing and strong performances, especially Jeff Daniels and Peter Sarsgaard, while noting its lack of female representation. [Read the review](https://www.slashfilm.com/556393/the-looming-tower-review/) ## Paste — Matt Brennan Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 28 February 2018. Brennan finds the series an imperfect but vital corrective to familiar counterterrorism dramas. He especially praises Tahar Rahim’s performance and the series’ focus on the consequences of CIA-FBI rivalry. [Read the review](https://www.pastemagazine.com/tv/the-looming-tower/the-road-not-taken-how-the-looming-tower-reinvents) ## Den of Geek — Alec Bojalad Rating 3/5. 19 February 2018. The review finds the series watchable but familiar and overly sympathetic to the FBI, with its storytelling undermined by cartoonish CIA antagonists. It praises Tahar Rahim’s performance as Ali Soufan and calls his overseas scenes the show’s standout moments. [Read the review](https://www.denofgeek.com/tv/the-looming-tower-review-spoiler-free/) ## Collider — Chris Cabin Rating ★★. 23 February 2018. Cabin finds the series a middling, overly didactic drama that mistakes research for insight. He praises the cast’s flashes of complexity but faults the writing for reducing characters to information-delivery devices. [Read the review](https://collider.com/the-looming-tower-review-hulu/) ## The Ringer — Michael Baumann Fi1m's normalised score 10/100 (inferred from the text). 28 February 2018. Baumann finds the series a comprehensive failure, arguing that it mistakes vulgar dialogue for intelligence and offers no meaningful message. He criticizes its shallow character writing and says the strong cast and consequential subject matter cannot rescue it. [Read the review](https://www.theringer.com/2018/02/28/tv/looming-tower-hulu-miniseries-review) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/tv/the-looming-tower.md