I decided to watch 24 (the tv show) for the first time today. And I can firmly say it kicks all levels of ass.
The main plot involves terrorists taking the Secretary of Defense hostage and threatening to do their beheading bit. Too bad it wasn't Rumsfield.
What freaked me out was when the secretary's son was taken into custody by the CIA and tortured because they thought he was working for the terrorists. If the government can really do that kind of thing, I fear for my future.
The terrorist leader's son was in love with an american girl, and was told to kill her. "She is american. she is white devil!" When he didn't, the boy's mother killed his girlfriend instead. Boy should have shot his parents, I would have.
Jack is following a terrorist to the hideout and has to hold a convience store up to try to stop the terrrorist. His organization orders a strike on the terrorist's base to kill everyone, including the hostages, then blame the terrorists for the death of the Secretary.
So there's crazed terrorists, a powet hungry evil US government, and the main character is the only semi-sane one (if you call robbing a gas station sane).
So it's really good but really fucked up.