Ketrivie It isn't all that great, actually. Really cheesy and very predicable of how certain scenes are gonna turn play out. However, I guess that's the charm of it all, because I would consider this one of my guilty pleasures.

Claire Dunne One of the worst ways to make a cult movie is to set out to make a cult movie.

Neive Bellamy Excellent and certainly provocative... If nothing else, the film is a real conversation starter.

Marva-nova Amazing worth wacthing. So good. Biased but well made with many good points.

Tweekums Set between seasons six and seven of the TV series this film sees former counter terrorist agent Jack Bauer in a fictional African country where he helps at a local school. He is still wanted by the US authorities but refuses to return home. His peaceful life is turned upside down again when local warlord General Benjamin Juma starts a coup and his underlings kidnap local children to force them to fight in his army. The country's president requests help from America but the timing could hardly be worse; it is only two hours till the new US president is sworn in and the incumbent has ordered the evacuation of the US embassy. One of the boys from the school is killed and another injured as Juma's men try to press-gang them in a nearby village. The injured boy is picked up by Jack's friend Carl Benton who warns Jack that the rebels are on the way to the school. Jack gets the children to safety but is captured and tortured; luckily when Benton gets back they overcome their attackers and head towards the capital hoping to get there before the last helicopter leaves.This TV movie has a solid story that contains plenty of excitement and many elements that fans of the series are sure to enjoy. Of course given that the story is set over a much shorter time period than a whole series it does feel a little rushed at times and many plot threads remain unresolved; presumably as a set up for series seven; this is especially true of what we see happening back in the US. The African setting does make a nice change and even though it is set in a fictional country the idea of rebels forcing children to fight is all too depressingly realistic. The action is well handled and the final evacuation where desperate locals pressed against the gates of the US embassy while US personnel and their dependants board Hueys to fly them to safety was clearly inspired by the evacuation of Saigon during Operation Frequent Wind in 1975. Overall this is a solid '24' story; it isn't essential that one watches the series first but some knowledge would be useful and the number of unresolved issues would make it frustrating to anybody watching this as a stand-alone film.

Elizabeth The opening sequence caught my attention and it was a completely different production style for "24", which makes this different from all the other seasons.Jack Bauer has had many hectic days in his lifetime. Still Kiefer Sutherland manages to make you walk each scene with him.!**(SPOILERS)**! I loved the reveal in the beginning, when the boy stole his knife. In this short time I managed to care about Jack's friend and the children, which was why I loved this installment. Though I believed at first that his friend acted carelessly when he stepped on that land mine and it became obvious that they only placed him there to get rid of the army of men after Jack, but still, I felt Jack's loss. His expression when he realized that the blast he heard meant the end of his friend's life was beautifully played.I actually love these kinds of story lines. I loved the color differentiation from Africa to the US. When in Africa there was the orange color and in the US-blue, which separated each location.I loved this installment. The only thing I had a problem with was the short time used to warm up to some characters that died in the end and the boy that Jack refused to kill who kept repeating that one-liner from the opening scene; it was just too corny for me. Other than that I actually picture an interesting day. At some points I actually forget that all of these action sequences occur in one day. I am definitely looking forward for the next episode. This was actually a big risk for "24", taking on a different production style, set in South Africa, because at the end of the day it all comes down to whether or not the viewers would be able to adapt to this kind of plot line and I would say the writers pulled it off, I certainly enjoyed it.___________________________ Four out of Five stars ___________________________

AzaraT A full length episode of 24, but does it work? Well, I can't help it, but this seems to be kind of rushed. The script and story aren't as good as it should be. I felt kind of bored watching this.Jack seems to be a bit "overpowered" and he seems to have a gift to dodge bullets. Okay I know this happens in a lot, but they kind of over do it here.I like the way that it is real time. Unlike in the series, it seems like it is possible to do all the things they do in the given time period. It doesn't feel the 24ish though, one of the most vital part of 24 CTU is not involved in the movie at all.With that said, it is not that bad. It seems like quite a nice start of the 7th season, and it is nice to get into more details about what has happened between the two seasons. They didn't max out the potential of the movie, the script and story was in my opinion a bit dull.But if you like the series and plan to follow the 7th season, be sure to check this one out.

chris-1583 It is going to be difficult to maintain the exceptional standards "24" has set over the years, however this feature length episode doesn't quite deliver as hoped. Re-worked formulas shows lack of creative imagination, something previous Seasons have (mostly) avoided. The script isn't as sharp as normal, possibly targeted at a less astute audience, and the characters lack subtlety. Too many bullets miraculously missing Jack and a sense of deja-vu. Whilst Robert Carlyle puts in a very credible performance, less believable is the UN Aid worker who is so crassly portrayed. Hopefully Season 7 will see improvement.