January 12, 2009
Helin brings together an international cast of terrorists, from white supremacists to the Quebec Liberation Front, in this disorganized and casually misogynistic debut thriller. Retired Col. Sam Thorpe infiltrates the training camp of the Patriots, a well-armed militia group led by disgruntled ex-marine Quentin Oliver. Their goal is to steal nuclear material and construct a dirty bomb. Aided by sexy undercover FBI agent Alex Prescott (whose professional skills get far fewer mentions than her breasts) and CIA agent Bob O'Brien, Thorpe plays a dangerous game, training the militia members while secretly feeding intelligence to his government contacts. Despite a timely and topical threat and Helin's knowledgeable descriptions of military training and antiterrorism procedure, the uneven plotting and superficial characterizations fail to generate suspense.