The Oath

"Two Men. Bound to Al-Qaeda. Divided by Fate."

2010 1h 30m EN

👍

7.4

SOLID

★7.4TMDB · 26

Documentary

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Tells the story of two men, Abu Jandal and Salim Ahmed Hamdan, whose fateful encounter in 1996 set them on a course of events that led them to Afghanistan, Osama bin Laden, 9/11, Guantanamo, and the U.S. Supreme Court.

“Two Men. Bound to Al-Qaeda. Divided by Fate.”

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Cast

Osama bin Laden
Self (archive footage)
Salim Hamdan
Self (archive footage)
Abu Jandal
Self (archive footage)

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Laura Poitras
Languages: Arabic
Countries: Cuba, United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

RUNTIME

Did you know

90 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Released 16 years ago.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

International production across 2 countries: Cuba, United States of America.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Laura Poitras, shot by Kirsten Johnson. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Jonathan Oppenheim shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Osama bin Laden and Salim Hamdan and Abu Jandal carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "Two Men. Bound to Al-Qaeda. Divided by Fate.".

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Laura Poitras directs. Kirsten Johnson behind the camera. Jonathan Oppenheim cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in Cuba, United States of America. Dialogue in Arabic.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

190 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.
2Released 16 years ago.
3International production across 2 countries: Cuba, United States of America.
4Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.
5Directed by Laura Poitras, shot by Kirsten Johnson. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
6Editor Jonathan Oppenheim shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
7Osama bin Laden and Salim Hamdan and Abu Jandal carry the top of the cast.
8Marketing tagline: "Two Men. Bound to Al-Qaeda. Divided by Fate.".
9IMDB entry: tt1522857 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
10Only 26 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.