24 (2001-2010)
No, it’s not a film, but that doesn’t make it any less important. While the series had its ups and downs, Jack Bauer (Keifer Sutherland) was the perfect post-9/11 hero. Over its duration, the series was a perfect exemplification of our current political or cultural climate. As the political winds began to shift a few years ago, so did 24. What didn’t change, however, was Bauer’s thick distaste for America’s enemies. Bauer really was a new age Dirty Harry, who gave audiences the satisfaction of seeing the threats we actually face today fought against with the courage, honor and strength that has made America what it is. Now that Bauer is a thing of the past (though, there are rumors of upcoming feature films), American pop culture needs a new hero. It is my hope that there are still people in Hollywood courageous enough to stand against evil and show the world, through our entertainment, that regardless of our foreign policy, the American people will not stand for terrorism.
