The Ambassador
Drafthouse Films | Release Date: August 31, 2012 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
67
METASCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 17 Critic Reviews
Positive:
12
Mixed:
4
Negative:
1
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
88
New York PostKyle SmithAug 30, 2012
Picture Graham Greene crossed with James Bond, with a splash of Sacha Baron Cohen, and you'll start to imagine the nervy talents of Mads Brügger, the fearless Danish filmmaker who has for a second time come up with a stunning, funny, and vital piece of guerilla cinema. Read full review
83
IndieWireEric KohnAug 28, 2012
The closest Brügger comes to explaining his style is an early statement on the duality of his mission to go "beyond all moral boundaries known to man while still being a respectable member of society." It's a goal enacted less with a coy wink than with a violent elbow jab to the ribs. Read full review
80
Village VoiceKarina LongworthAug 28, 2012
The Ambassador's wrap-up is vague and sudden, and necessarily so: In order for the movie to work, you need to wonder if maybe, at some point, Brügger stopped acting and really became the crooked international asshole he was supposedly just pretending to be. The magic of Brügger's performance is that it earns that suspension of disbelief. Read full review
80
The Hollywood ReporterKarsten KastelanAug 28, 2012
It may feel like 'Borat,' but Mads Brugger's documentary is a comical look at an unfunny place. Read full review
75
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)James AdamsJan 11, 2013
The Ambassador may be an important, even necessary film; just don't expect to find it enjoyable. Read full review
75
Chicago Sun-TimesRoger EbertOct 3, 2012
At what point did I realize The Ambassador was an actual documentary, and not a fraud? Perhaps when I realized that everyone in the film was just as dishonest, venal and corrupt as they seemed - including the director. Read full review
75
Portland OregonianShawn LevySep 6, 2012
There's a touch of whimsy to his misadventures, but the malfeasance he uncovers -- often using hidden cameras and microphones -- is anything but a joke. Read full review
75
The A.V. ClubAlison WillmoreAug 29, 2012
The film's tone and structure seem a little strained by the danger in which the filmmaker increasingly puts himself, and the indifference to human life exuded by some of those he meets. By the end, Brügger himself seems to be having trouble finding any of this funny. Read full review
70
Los Angeles TimesKenneth TuranAug 30, 2012
Part muckraking nonfiction film, part performance piece, it is a nervy documentary guaranteed, depending on who you are, to enlighten, disturb or offend. Which is what you might expect from a man who describes his work as "a strange mix of Borat and the Economist." Read full review
70
The New York TimesA.O. ScottAug 28, 2012
Mr. Brugger's portrait of shameless, routine collusion between exploitative foreigners and dysfunctional dictatorships is depressing and undeniable. Unless, that is, The Ambassador is even more of a hoax than it seems to be. This strikes me as plausible, since somebody having this much fun in such proximity to horror may not be completely trustworthy. Read full review
70
VarietyLeslie FelperinAug 28, 2012
Brugger ensures it's a fairly entertaining excursion, especially when he starts to enjoy getting into character as the nefarious white man in Africa. Read full review
67
Austin ChronicleMarc SavlovAug 29, 2012
We bear witness, via Brügger's film, to the slow-motion train wreck that high-echelon, African graft becomes. Read full review
60
New York Daily NewsElizabeth WeitzmanAug 30, 2012
His outlandish story feels only half-told - though still twice as fascinating as most. Read full review
60
Time OutDavid FearAug 28, 2012
Within the first ten minutes, the movie proves the point that exploitation in Africa is rampant, but never goes any deeper than that; it's an undercover endeavor that never feels as if much is actually being uncovered. Read full review
50
Slant MagazineChris CabinAug 28, 2012
Bothing is pointedly outlandish in Mads Brügger's latest, a fact that represents its triumphs and burdens. Read full review
40
Boxoffice MagazineRay GreeneAug 28, 2012
A movie whose confusing narrative and at times intriguing parts are at war with each other, and never quite gel. Read full review
38
Boston GlobeTy BurrSep 20, 2012
A sociopolitical prankumentary in which the prank blows up in the filmmaker's face, exploding-cigar style. Read full review
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