American Anarchist

[Powell] comes off as a tragic figure: a teacher haunted by his most spectacular lesson, and a man of learning who, where his own guilt was concerned, took care not to learn too much.

Siskel's movie - flawed, somewhat limited but never dull - makes Powell eat his words and then, in metaphorical terms, write the restaurant review.

An intriguing film about an infuriating man.

"American Anarchist" is an interesting look at accountability on several different levels.

Unnerving ...

"American Anarchist" makes for unsatisfying viewing, although it's possible it couldn't have been otherwise.

American Anarchist makes the interesting choice of saving Powell's difficult childhood for the end, and while it was tragic, most people with difficult childhoods didn't go on to write books about how to make bombs.

"American Anarchist" delivers a fascinating cautionary tale that asks, "How many mea culpas are we expected to make for our reckless youth?"

What starts as an interesting look at a man who singularly inspired a lot of violent perpetrators becomes an unnecessarily hectoring judgment of someone who's already been punished for his youthful bravado.

Siskel turns many interviews into interrogations, browbeating his subject, demanding dramatic apologies, eager to expose a hypocrisy that Powell doesn't seem to have in him.