You are here:

The Newburgh Sting

Name: The Newburgh Sting
Director: David Heilbroner, Kate Davis
Released: 2014
Duration: 87 min

Representation Score

8.2/10

Excellent

2014

Director

David Heilbroner, Kate Davis

Runtime

87 minutes

Average Rating

No ratings yet

New Showbiz Analysis

The Newburgh Sting shifts the focus from typical terrorism narratives to the systemic mechanisms of the state. It breaks down the hero-versus-villain binary by introducing a morally ambiguous informant. While the film lacks significant representation for gender and LGBTQ+ identities, it excels in critiquing how racial and ethnic identities are used in security contexts. It offers a nuanced look at the intersection of identity and state suspicion. Ultimately, the documentary provides a progressive analysis by questioning the integrity of institutional power and the construction of national security threats.

Watch this, not that →

Category Breakdown

Does The Newburgh Sting have LGBTQ+ representation?

Fair

The film does not include any significant LGBTQ+ characters or narratives. Its focus is on counter-terrorism and state informants, which keeps the LGBTQ+ community largely unrepresented.

How does The Newburgh Sting portray gender?

Fair

The story revolves around a male-dominated conspiracy and law enforcement response. Female characters are not given roles where they can take control or demonstrate intellectual dominance.

How racially and ethnically diverse is The Newburgh Sting?

Good

The documentary highlights non-Anglo-Saxon identities prominently. It centers on the experiences of Pakistani-Americans and examines how ethnicity and immigrant status shape perceptions of threat.

How does The Newburgh Sting represent religion and culture?

Excellent

The film questions Western institutions by portraying government informants as potential catalysts for radicalization. It challenges traditional views of security by questioning the construction of homegrown terrorism.

Does The Newburgh Sting include disability representation?

Fair

There are no characters with visible or invisible disabilities featured in the documentary. No such identities are used as central plot drivers.

Present on Screen

Highlights non-Anglo-Saxon identities and the Pakistani-American experience.
Critiques how ethnicity and immigrant status impact security perceptions.
Challenges traditional Western-centric views of terrorism through systemic skepticism.

Limited or Absent

Lacks female characters in positions of control or intellectual dominance.
Does not significantly represent or engage with LGBTQ+ identities.
Does not feature characters with visible or invisible disabilities as central drivers.

Official Synopsis

Just 60 miles north of New York City sits the poverty-stricken town of Newburgh, where, in 2009, four men were arrested for a plan to bomb two Jewish centers in the Bronx. But their leader, a suspicious Pakistani businessman planted by the government as an informant, led these men straight into the hands of the authorities. With endless footage gathered from hidden cameras, directors David Heilbroner and Kate Davis investigate just what homegrown terrorism truly means in this shocking and galvanizing exposé.

How are these scores produced? →