Sundance review: 'Who Killed Alex Odeh?' is a riveting murder mystery that lays out the political reasons that justice remains elusive 40 years later

A murder mystery that’s also a cautionary tale for our political present, “Who Killed Alex Odeh?” explores a 40-year-old case of terrorism on American shores — and how the suspects, long identified, have eluded justice for so long.

Alex Odeh was the West coast director of the Arab-American Anti-Discrimination Committee, a group that advocated for equal treatment of people of Arab heritage, particularly Palestinian people. During his career, Odeh made efforts to educate people on negative stereotypes against Arabs in the movies. (One example cited in the film is “Back to the Future,” when Marty McFly is trying to outrace terrorists.)

On Oct. 11, 1985, Odeh entered the ADC’s office in Santa Ana, California, and a massive bomb exploded. Odeh was killed, and eight others were injured. According to the case presented by filmmakers Jason Osder and William Lafi Youmans, it’s been fairly clear from the beginning who the likely suspects were — men linked to an extremist organization, the Jewish Defense League.

Osder and Youmans trace the history of the JDL, launched by the controversial rabbi and activist Meir Kahane, who advocated for the removal of all Palestinians from Israel. Kahane said the Palestinians should be relocated alive, but he wasn’t so particular that he would have complained if they were killed. And Kahane amassed a fair-sized following of people who felt the same way.

The filmmakers introduce us to David Sheen, an Israeli journalist who has specialized in chronicling the rise of Israeli’s far-right movement, going back to Kahane and further. He has identified three men who are very likely suspects in Odeh’s killing. One was imprisoned in the United States for other crimes (and paroled in 2020), while the other two escaped and got on a plane to Israel. (I’ve opted not to list these three by name, in part because one of them is famously litigious.)

Order and Youmans carefully work through Sheen’s reporting, the steps he took to confirm the identities of the men believed to have been responsible for Odeh’s death. They also connect the dots between two of the suspects and the current leadership in the Israeli government, which may provide an explanation for why they were never extradited. And they give Odeh’s widow, Norma, and oldest daughter, Helena, their chance to tell Alex Odeh’s story, and bear witness to the dangers of letting a case go cold because of political expedience. 

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‘Who Killed Alex Odeh?’

★★★1/2

Screening in the U.S. Documentary competition of the 2026 Sundance Film Festival. Not rated, but probably PG-13 for discussions of violence. Running time: 83 minutes; in English, and Hebrew and Arabic, with subtitles.

The film screens again: Tuesday, Jan. 27, 8:50 p.m., Redstone Cinemas 3, Park City; Friday, Jan. 30, noon, Holiday Village Cinemas 3, Park City; Saturday, Jan. 31, 6 p.m., Broadway Centre Cinemas 6, Salt Lake City; Sunday, Feb. 1, 12:30 p.m., Holiday Village Cinemas 1, Park City. Also screening on Sundance’s web portal, Thursday through Sunday, Jan. 29 to Feb. 1.