We have to do something,
says one of the many shadowy extremists in Mike Ott’s tense drama McVeigh. The film offers a condensed account of the events that led Timothy McVeigh, an Iraq War veteran, to blow up the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma on April 19, 1995, killing 168 people and injuring 680 more. His close ties with white supremacist Richard Snell, a convicted murderer put to death by lethal injection that same day, might lead one to question why such a story needs retelling. But Ott’s film provides a rare study of the radicalization of white working-class Americans.
When we’re not following McVeigh, played with impressive, surly opacity by Britain’s Alfie Allen, we are observing him from a distance. Ott uses master shots and medium close-ups but rarely gets too close. For instance, in the opening scenes, McVeigh is pulled over for speeding. While the traffic cop writes the ticket, McVeigh looks stressed, and Ott’s camera focuses on his anxiety—often represented by an unseen object in the glove compartment.
The siege of the Branch Davidians led by David Koresh in 1993 weighs heavily on McVeigh’s mind. But he keeps his head down, manning a stall at guns-and-ammo festivals. Here, he meets Frédéric (Anthony Carrigan), who is acutely aware of McVeigh’s friendship with Snell (Tracy Letts) but chooses to stay on the sidelines for now.
McVeigh’s closest friend in this narrative is Terry (Brett Gelman)—a nerdy, racist redneck married to a Filipino woman. Though Terry encourages McVeigh’s anti-government stance, he grows alarmed when McVeigh buys industrial quantities of fertilizer and barrels of nitromethane.
Frédéric steps in, pushing McVeigh further. We need some real f*ckin’ soldiers who aren’t scared,
he asserts while remaining conveniently detached from direct involvement.
This deliberate distance recalls films like Alexandre Moors’ Blue Caprice or Gus Van Sant’s Elephant, taking inspiration from real-life tragedies like the DC beltway sniper attacks and the Columbine school murders. Ott cranks up ambient sound to create discomfort in lieu of dialogue—a technique reminiscent of Jaime Rosales’ Bullet in the Head.
McVeigh offers insight into radicalization—not driven by religion or mental illness but as a means to fill an empty vessel. As history has shown through McVeigh’s actions, idleness can indeed lead to devastating outcomes. Given current political unrest in America, Ott’s film might find it challenging to attract commercial audiences due to its intense themes and complex narrative layers.
The film debuted at the 2024 Tribeca Festival (Spotlight Narrative), handled by Verve Talent & Literary Agency. Directed by Mike Ott and written by Mike Ott and Alex Gioulakis, it features a talented cast including Alfie Allen, Brett Gelman, Ashley Benson, Anthony Carrigan, and Tracy Letts.
Follow Us
