73
Metascore
10 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 88Slant MagazineSteve MacfarlaneSlant MagazineSteve MacfarlaneJohanna Hamilton's 1971 represents a mind-blowing scoop disguised as a fairly garden-variety issue doc.
- 80The Hollywood ReporterJohn DeForeThe Hollywood ReporterJohn DeForeExciting and enlightening, the still-timely film ranks with docs like The Weather Underground in its evocation of a more politically engaged era.
- 80VarietyRonnie ScheibVarietyRonnie ScheibThe film offers surprisingly cogent, lived-in evocations of a period too often glossed over in impersonal, by-the-book montages.
- 80Los Angeles TimesKenneth TuranLos Angeles TimesKenneth TuranDon't mistake a lack of flash for an absence of substance. The story told here couldn't be more significant or more timely.
- 75Entertainment WeeklyChris NashawatyEntertainment WeeklyChris NashawatyNow, in Johanna Hamilton’s fiery truth-to-power documentary, those gray-haired agitators finally step out of the shadows to explain what they did and why they did it (with the help of some slightly hokey dramatic reenactments). Their message—namely, Who will watch the watchmen? — remains as important today as it was 44 years ago.
- 70The DissolveScott TobiasThe DissolveScott TobiasTo her credit, Hamilton lays out their story cleanly and with no small amount of tension, all while drawing strong connections to Watergate, the Pentagon Papers, and the Edward Snowden case.
- 70The New York TimesStephen HoldenThe New York TimesStephen HoldenMs. Hamilton’s straightforward documentary skillfully interweaves reminiscences by members of the group with re-enactments of the burglary.
- 60New York Daily NewsJoe NeumaierNew York Daily NewsJoe NeumaierThis is a terrific time capsule with a resonant message.
- 50New York PostKyle SmithNew York PostKyle SmithIt’s mainly instructive in that it shows how liberals believe the end always justifies the means.