الله أكبر REViEW الله أكبر

Barry Garron
Dec 1, 2005
10-11 p.m., Sunday-Wednesday, Dec. 4-7 and 11-14
Showtime

From time to time, Washington announces that terrorist plots have been foiled, but is anyone really breathing easier? Although the orange alerts pretty much stopped after the last election, who knows whether all our security upgrades have made us safer or only left us with a false sense of security? These are among the nagging questions that arise in "Sleeper Cell," a bold and suspenseful 10-part miniseries.

The premiere is so filled with unexpected turns and surprises that merely trying to describe it without spoiling any of it requires walking a verbal minefield. In the most general terms, it is about a small group of single-minded Muslims based in L.A. determined to inflict a large number of civilian casualties somewhere in the Southland. Recruited from the U.S. and abroad, the members have no trouble blending in.

Authorities are not exactly oblivious to this cell. The FBI has figured a way to penetrate it, though there are risks, conflicts and the inevitable bureaucratic conferences over whether and how to proceed. In addition, writers/exec producers Ethan Reiff and Cyrus Voris go to great lengths in several episodes to pierce Islamic stereotypes and make clear that these radical fundamentalists operate on the utmost fringes of the Muslim faith, distorting the meaning of passages in the Quran to suit their purposes.

Oded Fehr is masterful as Farik, the secretive leader of the cell who insists on discipline and comes down hard on anyone who slips up. Ironically, Farik works as an executive of a security firm and coaches softball for the Jewish temple to which he belongs. The others have more menial jobs, such as driving a tour bus or managing a bowling alley. In the thrilling opener, Michael Ealy, who plays Darwyn, is the newest volunteer in the cell, a paroled ex-con and American black Muslim who must earn Farik's trust.

Some L.A. locations, such as Grauman's Chinese Theatre and Westchester, represent themselves some locations stand in for others. For example, the Northridge Fashion Center is used in the second episode to represent a Westside mall targeted by the terrorists for anthrax exposure. Presumably, there would be less at stake if Valley residents were the intended victims.

Nonetheless, this is a first-rate series that explores the hearts and minds of terrorists even as it presents scene after scene of suspense and action. Director Clark Johnson is adept at telling stories with urgency and heart, all the while capturing the nuance and subtlety that makes it impossible to dismiss sleeper cell members as one-dimensional caricatures.

Showtime, which has experimented with creative scheduling in the past, does so again with "Sleeper Cell." Original episodes will be shown at 10 p.m. Sunday-Wednesday next week and the week after, followed by a two-hour finale Dec. 18. In addition, Showtime will show two-episode blocks on Thursday and Friday and a four-episode marathon on Saturday.

SLEEPER CELL
ShowtimeCardboard Guru Prods.
Credits:
Executive producers: Ethan Reiff, Cyrus Voris
Producer: Ann Kindberg
Director: Clark Johnson
Teleplay: Ethan Reiff, Cyrus Voris
Director of photography: Robert Primes
Production designer: Mayne Berke
Editor: Cindy Mollo
Music by: Paul Haslinger
Set decorator: Casey Hallenbeck
Costume designer: Jolie Andreatta
Casting by: Kim Coleman
Cast:
Darwyn al-Sayeed: Michael Ealy
Farik: Oded Fehr
Bobby Habib: Grant Heslov
Ilija: Henri Lubatti
Christian: Alex Nesic
Tommy: Blake Shields
Gayle: Melissa Sagemiller
Agent Ray Fuller: James LeGros
Marcus: Jake Soldera