Lake of Fire
THINKFilm | Release Date: October 3, 2007 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
83
METASCORE
Universal acclaim based on 15 Critic Reviews
Positive:
15
Mixed:
0
Negative:
0
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
100
The A.V. ClubScott Tobias
If nothing else, the film puts the lie to the notion that an abortion could ever be frivolous or lightly considered. On that point, everyone in Lake Of Fire agrees, whether they acknowledge the other side or not. Read full review
90
New York Magazine (Vulture)David Edelstein
Lake of Fire centers on abortion, but Kaye understands that while dead fetuses are the hook, the agenda covers the whole life cycle. Read full review
90
VarietyLeslie Felperin
An extraordinary docu achievement. Handsomely filmed on silvery 35mm and high-definition by Kaye himself, the shrewdly edited picture balances a full spectrum of views from all sides of the abortion debate without obviously taking a position itself. Read full review
88
TV Guide MagazineKen Fox
Does find a spot closer to the middle than most. Read full review
88
Chicago Sun-TimesRoger Ebert
This is a brave, unflinching, sometimes virtually unwatchable documentary that makes such an effective case for both pro-choice and pro-life that it is impossible to determine which side the filmmaker, Tony Kaye, stands on. All you can conclude at the end is that both sides have effective advocates, but the pro-lifers also have some alarming people on their team. Read full review
88
Boston GlobeTy Burr
After 152 epic minutes, ‘Lake of Fire’ comes down to this: If you’re not living this woman’s life, maybe you shouldn’t tell her what to do. Read full review
83
Portland OregonianShawn Levy
The longer it goes on, the less your mind settles. You may not believe in a hell in which a lake of fire rages, but we live in a nation and at a time when many people have little lakes of fire in their heads and hearts. Kaye is determined that we never forget that truth or its price. Read full review
80
The Hollywood ReporterJohn DeFore
Smart, visually appealing, and consistently engaging. Read full review
80
Village VoiceJ. Hoberman
At once monumental and ghostly. Read full review
80
SalonAndrew O'Hehir
Highly compelling, if overlong and overwrought. Read full review
80
Chicago ReaderJ.R. Jones
You may not leave the theater having switched sides, but you'll probably respect the other side more, and that in itself would be a victory for human life. Read full review
75
New York PostKyle Smith
A great abortion documentary might leave you guessing which side of the debate the director was on. Lake of Fire is not that film, but it comes somewhat close. Read full review
75
Entertainment WeeklyLisa Schwarzbaum
It's impossible to watch Tony Kaye's theatrically supercharged, equal-opportunity button-pusher without experiencing a welter of emotions -- which is just what the filmmaker planned. Read full review
75
Chicago TribuneMichael Phillips
By the end of Lake of Fire, you know full well you’re in the presence of a deeply conflicted filmmaker, bound to make all sides uneasy, even enraged. Read full review
70
The New York TimesManohla Dargis
One lesson of Lake of Fire is the galvanizing power of the visual image. Sometimes a picture is worth a thousand words, and sometimes pictures are not enough. Read full review
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