Where in the World Is Osama Bin Laden?
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''Where in the World Is Osama bin Laden?'' is a 2008 documentary film, conceived by Adam Dell and co-written, produced, directed by, and starring
Morgan Spurlock Morgan Valentine Spurlock (born November 7, 1970) is an American documentary filmmaker, humorist, television producer, screenwriter and playwright. Spurlock's films include '' Super Size Me'' (2004), '' Where in the World Is Osama bin Laden?'' ( ...
, an American independent filmmaker. The title of the film is a play on the title of the television game show and computer game series, '' Where in the World Is Carmen Sandiego?'', and other “Where in the World is” themes. The CIA revealed that Osama bin Laden himself had a copy of the film at his hideout in Abbottabad,
Pakistan Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 243 million people, and has the world's second-lar ...
.


Synopsis

After some comical animations involving Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden, the film shows Spurlock visiting various countries associated with or affected by bin Laden. The film contains short interviews with many people about Bin Laden and
Islamic fundamentalism Islamic fundamentalism has been defined as a puritanical, revivalist, and reform movement of Muslims who aim to return to the founding scriptures of Islam. Islamic fundamentalists are of the view that Muslim-majority countries should return ...
, and about the United States and its
war on terror The war on terror, officially the Global War on Terrorism (GWOT), is an ongoing international counterterrorism military campaign initiated by the United States following the September 11 attacks. The main targets of the campaign are militant ...
. Supposedly, Spurlock searches for bin Laden, and he even asks people at random in the street where he is. The film is intercut with images of Spurlock's wife in the late stages of her pregnancy. Much of Spurlock's commentary is based on the concerns of a new father. Spurlock visits Morocco, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Israel, Afghanistan, and Pakistan. In Afghanistan, guarded by about 21
Afghan Army The Army of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (), also referred to as the Islamic Emirate Army and the Afghan Army, is the land force branch of the Armed Forces of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan. The roots of an army in Afghanistan can be tr ...
soldiers, he visits
Tora Bora Tora Bora ( ps, توره بوړه, "Black Cave") is a cave complex, part of the Spin Ghar (White Mountains) mountain range of eastern Afghanistan. It is situated in the Pachir Aw Agam District of Nangarhar, approximately west of the Khyber ...
. A local government official is shown who wants to change it into an amusement park. Spurlock is also shown on a
US Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...
patrol as an
embedded journalist Embedded journalism refers to news reporters being attached to military units involved in armed conflicts. While the term could be applied to many historical interactions between journalists and military personnel, it first came to be used in the ...
. Spurlock is shown hesitating to enter the area of Pakistan near the Afghan border where bin Laden is at the time, which is closed to foreigners, and deciding not to go there, arguing that it is not worth the risk. He concludes that the people in the countries he visited are ordinary people just like himself and the audience. Spurlock guesses that bin Laden is likely hiding in Abbottabad, Pakistan, where he was found three years later.


Reception

''Where in the World Is Osama bin Laden?'' received a mixed reception from critics. On
Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee, and Stephen Wang ...
, the film holds an approval score of 38% based on 108 reviews, with an average rating of 4.90/10. The consensus reads, "Morgan Sprulock's doc offers occasional insights but gets bogged down by the director/subject's gimmicky schtick." On
Metacritic Metacritic is a website that aggregates reviews of films, TV shows, music albums, video games and formerly, books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted average). Metacritic was created by Jason Dietz, Marc ...
, the film has a score of 45 out of 100 based on 28 critics' reviews, indicating "mixed or average reviews".


See also

*
List of cultural references of the September 11 attacks This list of cultural references to the September 11 attacks and to the post-9/11 socio political climate, includes works of art, music, books, poetry, comics, theater, film, and television. Art and design *''A Garden Stepping into the Sky'' ...
* '' Being Osama''


References


External links

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''Where in the World is Osama Bin Laden?''
at sundance.org {{DEFAULTSORT:Where In The World Is Osama Bin Laden? 2008 documentary films American documentary films Documentary films about terrorism Films shot in Egypt Films directed by Morgan Spurlock Works about Osama bin Laden Documentary films about Egypt Documentary films about the War in Afghanistan (2001–2021) 2000s English-language films 2000s American films