74
Metascore
20 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 90The Hollywood ReporterJames GreenbergThe Hollywood ReporterJames GreenbergFoulkrod's film is not about taking a political side, though it is clear she is strongly opposed to the war in Iraq. Her focus instead is on the dehumanizing of eager young men and their transformation into killing machines.
- 83Seattle Post-IntelligencerSean AxmakerSeattle Post-IntelligencerSean AxmakerAnyone who claims to support the troops owes it to them to see the film and hear their stories.
- 80Film ThreatPete Vonder HaarFilm ThreatPete Vonder HaarFar from being a mere polemic, The Ground Truth is bolstered immeasurably by Foulkrod’s almost exclusive use of interviews with actual veterans.
- 75Chicago TribuneChicago TribuneCompelling and intensely provocative.
- 75The A.V. ClubNathan RabinThe A.V. ClubNathan RabinFoulkrod's film covers little new ground, but some painful truths are worth repeating.
- 70L.A. WeeklyElla TaylorL.A. WeeklyElla TaylorImmensely moving.
- 70The New York TimesStephen HoldenThe New York TimesStephen HoldenTries to do too much in too little time. It would be a stronger film if it devoted more detailed attention to the plight of the returning veteran. As it stands, it is a scattershot antiwar polemic that doesn't bolster its arguments with any historical perspective or statistical evidence. No one from the government or the military is trotted out to give an opposing view. This is not to say that The Ground Truth, on its own terms, isn't devastating.
- 60The New YorkerDavid DenbyThe New YorkerDavid DenbyThe Ground Truth is an emotionally potent work, but the great study of an Iraq vet, in either documentary or fictional form, has yet to be made.
- 50Village VoiceMichael AtkinsonVillage VoiceMichael AtkinsonThe details are eye-opening (or ear-opening, in the case of marching songs taught to the new Marines about slaughtering Arab schoolchildren), but soon Foulkrod's film backs itself into a Support Our Troops corner.