Fighter
First Run Features | Release Date: August 24, 2001 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
83
METASCORE
Universal acclaim based on 17 Critic Reviews
Positive:
16
Mixed:
1
Negative:
0
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
100
Rolling StonePeter Travers
Fighter shapes up as one of the great documentaries of this year, or any other. Read full review
90
The A.V. ClubScott Tobias
Far from the solemn earnestness of most Holocaust documentaries, Fighter addresses the war and its oft-toxic reverberations with refreshing impudence and candor. Read full review
90
Village VoiceAmy Taubin
Probably more terse than it needs to be, but the dramatic line has an elegance and drive that reinforces the unexpected turns of the story. Read full review
90
The New York TimesStephen Holden
In juxtaposing two extraordinary personal histories, it ponders in a refreshingly original way unanswerable questions about memory, imagination, history and that elusive thing we call truth. Read full review
90
L.A. WeeklyElla Taylor
A humane and precociously wise documentary by the young Los Angeles director Amir Bar-Lev.
90
New Times (L.A.)Andy Klein
It's moving; but it's also endlessly engaging, uproariously funny at moments, informative, and eventually touching in ways one might not have expected.
88
New York Daily NewsElizabeth Weitzman
Bar-Lev has created a film remarkable in its ability to capture both the worst and best of human nature.
88
New York PostJonathan Foreman
Powerful, provocative and often surprisingly funny, this may be the year's outstanding documentary. Read full review
88
Philadelphia InquirerSteven Rea
The film speaks to fundamental issues of history, truth, and the philosophical conflicts of humankind. Read full review
80
Los Angeles TimesKenneth Turan
Director Amir Bar-Lev finds a way to mix the personal, the philosophical and the historical into a complex human document, something that's funny, moving and sad. Read full review
80
TV Guide MagazineKen Fox
This exciting, ultimately bittersweet, film was shot cheaply on video, but is nevertheless filled with moments of artistry and invention. Read full review
80
VarietyMichael Speier
A powerful, heartfelt and funny documentary that serves as a respectful nod to the aging generation of WWII survivors. Read full review
75
Chicago Sun-TimesRoger Ebert
In this movie the war is not quite over. For those who survived it, maybe it will never be. Read full review
75
Boston GlobeJay Carr
In the end, Fighter, despite its newsreel footage, is less a document of wartime experience than of the mentality one needs to maintain in order to be a fighter.
75
Chicago TribuneMichael Wilmington
A movie that celebrates and mourns heroism and friendship, while reminding us how seldom we truly see either on our big screens. Read full review
63
Miami HeraldMarta Barber
Yet even when the bickering diminishes the impact of the story, Wiener himself makes Fighter another interesting story to come out of World War II atrocities. Read full review
50
Chicago ReaderFred Camper
The film does offer a good deal of engaging dark humor. Read full review
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