Tower (2016)

It was like another documentary film that I saw one last week. But this time it was an even bigger scale. This, the original event took place exactly 50 years ago and first of its kind. Since then hundreds of similar events have been recorded. Many of them were made into films, but I don't remember this one was ever turned into one. This is about a raged gunman on the college campus, where many people got killed and injured. A shocking incident, even cops did not know how to handle it at first.So, the film reveals one of the most horrific episodes ever happened in the American soil. Like everything has a first time, this is where it all began for this kind of event. The filmmakers used some of the original archive footage to tell the story, but the majority of the film was the animation. Since it was a documentary film and was made under a tight budget, the visuals were not that pleasant, but the notion was well achieved.Documentary films and interviews are like thunder and lightening. So there are interviews in it, but most of them were made-up of. I mean they were real, though not with the real people, except their recorded voice interviews in most of the cases. It was challenging to bring back the original event on the screen since it is not a feature film to recreate whatever way they want, especially that occurred half a century ago. But very appreciable for even giving us this much of detail to feel the vibe.❝One of the truths I have learnt is that there are monsters that walk among us.❞It was like any other normal day on the campus of the University of Texas in Austin. But the scenario has suddenly changed when two student couple fell on the ground not aware of what just happened, and so the people around. After some time, it became clear that a gunman open fired on them and many others from a nearby tower, but the real issue is nobody could see him. Soon it reached the radio and television, and alert has been circulated. Then the cops got involved to solve the matter and how it all ends covered in the rest of the films.This is a good film, revealed most of the parts as much as in details, but I'm not fully convinced. Because the concept of narration was quite similar to feature film style where they want to keep the mystery. It all begins with one perspective and multiplies as it progresses. Except not focusing enough on the negative character. I understood the situation of the event, but I did not get enough detail about the gunman. It was like one side of the story. So mysterious and it stayed that way.Shorter and well paced. This is definitely worth checking out, though not a must see. To learn the history, the bad one. I had no idea about it prior to watch, but at the end, I felt it accomplished everything on its capacity to give out the truth. No matter it is a documentary film, along with the suspense, the tension was well balanced. So, more or less it is same as like watching a regular crime film. That's especially for those who are not into documentary films. I hope someone would make a feature film out of it.8/10

As a current UT student, this movie means a lot. The tower used to just a landmark, but right now, it reminds me of the story of those brave men and women. It is the first time I saw a documentary mixed with animations. Those animations piece the story together, and their connection with the real video is very smooth. They also provide a shocking contradiction between the animated characters and the real people 50 years later. This contradiction reminds me how long we have been forgetting those people.

Director Keith Maitland has taken a distinctly unconventional style/approach to telling a story like this, but it is also distinctly effective, affective and powerful. Excellent music choices that feel incongruously out of place that, whether intended or not, made me think of how incongruously out of place it was to have sudden senseless death rain down on a peaceful campus. I remember the day it was on all three channels. Although Whitman is essentially ignored, other than his actions, it's also a good reminder that he wasn't Kurt Russell. (1975 The Deadly Tower (TV Movie))

Director Peter Maitling delivered us this bright and full of hope piece, instead of the expected dark and serial killer centred documentary we get to know the ones who really matter, the heroes, the ones who survived and helped the injured ones to survive putting their own life in real danger.Social media and news broadcasters should learn something with this way to deliver a message or to do things. when this terrible things happen the message should carry not the gore in it but the good that came out of it. Beautiful. '8'