Review: 'Paris Terror Attack: Charlie Hebdo'

It seems as if it was a decade ago, but on January 7th, Paris suffered its first major terror attack in 2015. Ten months before the attacks that killed more than 130 people, two men entered the
offices of the satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo and murdered 11 people. They killed a police officer during their escape and an associate murdered another officer before killing four more people during the takeover of a Kosher grocery store.

The attacks were worldwide news, but it's likely you have never seen the events in quite the gripping way they're shown in the new Smithsonian Channel special PARIS TERROR ATTACK: CHARLIE HEBDO.

Using a combination of cellphone video, surveillance camera footage and news reports, the special follows the events of the day and offers up some incredibly chilling images of the attacks. From the murder of a Muslim police officer on the streets of Paris to the assault that ended the grocery store hostage taking, viewers get an almost behind-the-scenes look at the events. Extensive interviews with survivors, witnesses and police are interwoven with the footage and the result is an hour of television that is as suspenseful as any hour of a scripted crime drama. Even knowing how the day will end doesn't lessen the tension, as you get to see just where the attacks took place.

One of the best aspects of the special is that it is nothing but the facts. The narration is gripping but not sensational and the interviews and news channel tidbits simply report what happened. The lack of a political point of view is refreshing and it's a good match with the seriousness of the material.

PARIS TERROR ATTACK: CHARLIE HEBDO is a great hour of television and it's likely to be a great resource for teachers and parents who want to show their kids a well-reported take on what happened on that day and why.

PARIS TERROR ATTACK: CHARLIE HEBDO premieres on the Smithsonian Channel on Monday, January 4th, 2015 at 8:00 p.m. ET.