By Sidney Lumet
American Masters | Release Date: October 7, 2016 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
66
METASCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 12 Critic Reviews
Positive:
8
Mixed:
4
Negative:
0
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
91
Entertainment WeeklyChris NashawatyNov 2, 2016
As an introduction to a first-class director who shouldn’t require any introduction at all, By Sidney Lumet is a thoughtful and thought-provoking treat. Read full review
83
The Film StageTony HindsOct 27, 2016
By Sidney Lumet provides audiences unfamiliar with his work a window into the heart and mind of one of the most important filmmakers of all-time. Read full review
80
VarietyOwen GleibermanOct 24, 2016
The movie is simply Lumet and his films, which turns out to be an astonishingly satisfying experience, because he’s an incredible talker, with the same earthy electric push that powers his work. Read full review
75
The Seattle TimesMoira MacdonaldDec 29, 2016
It’s the kind of documentary that might serve as a perfect introduction to Lumet’s work; when it’s done, you want to watch all of these films immediately. Read full review
75
RogerEbert.comBrian TallericoOct 28, 2016
By Sidney Lumet won’t just make you want to revisit his works but reappreciate the role of a great director in cinema. Read full review
75
ObserverRex ReedOct 26, 2016
This film is too long for a documentary, and only a true Sidney Lumet fan is likely to sit through nearly two hours of it undistracted. Still, it’s a fascinating exploration of how a great mind worked by allowing the quality of his scripts to determine the style of each film—including not only the inner life but the camera, the clothes, the entire visual approach. Read full review
70
Los Angeles TimesJustin ChangNov 3, 2016
One of the achievements of Buirski’s absorbing documentary is that it allows Lumet to remind us, in his own voice, of the passion in his ostensible dispassion — the way he deftly subsumed self-expression within the brisk rhythms of his material and the superb performances of his actors. Read full review
63
Slant MagazineClayton DillardOct 24, 2016
Its strength lies in taking a thematic approach to Lumet's work, which prevents a chronological rattling off of one title after another. Read full review
60
The New York TimesManohla DargisOct 27, 2016
While it’s no surprise that Mr. Lumet can spin a tale, these murky-looking, less-than-flattering sit-downs are irritatingly suboptimal, particularly given that he was so great at telling intimate stories about men in shadows. Read full review
60
New York Daily NewsEthan SacksOct 26, 2016
By Sidney Lumet is less a true documentary and more a long, previously unseen interview given by the director three years before his death in 2011. Read full review
50
Village VoiceSam WeisbergOct 27, 2016
It's workmanlike and impassioned, but ultimately preaching to the choir. Read full review
50
The A.V. ClubIgnatiy VishnevetskyOct 26, 2016
The late Sidney Lumet, a quintessential “actor’s director” who spent his entire life around the profession, is an engaging enough interviewee to qualify the documentary By Sidney Lumet as indifferently watchable. Read full review
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