The Endurance
Cowboy Booking International | Release Date: September 21, 2001 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
85
METASCORE
Universal acclaim based on 23 Critic Reviews
Positive:
21
Mixed:
2
Negative:
0
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
100
Baltimore SunMichael Sragow
A great adventure. Read full review
100
Seattle Post-IntelligencerPaula Nechak
Even knowing the happy outcome, Butler masterfully keeps us on the edge of our seats, and communicates the full horror and seeming hopelessness of the crew's situation every step of the way. Read full review
100
San Francisco ChronicleMick LaSalle
A remarkable documentary about an almost unfathomable ordeal. Read full review
100
New York PostJonathan Foreman
Essential viewing not just for those fascinated by adventure, exploration and survival, but for anyone interested in the magic of leadership. Read full review
100
Boston GlobeLoren King
Butler's approach is subtle: His documentary allows the story to unfold elegantly, without embellishment, and it is more powerful for that restraint. Read full review
90
SalonDouglas Cruickshank
The film is a pleasure, which the real thing was not. It's also a chilling adventure and a compelling story from beginning to end. Read full review
90
Wall Street JournalJoe Morgenstern
A marvelous story.
90
New Times (L.A.)Andy Klein
It's an amazing story, but, in addition to its intrinsic interest, the Shackleton expedition has another remarkable draw: Crewman Frank Hurley had brought along not only still cameras, but a movie camera as well, providing us with an extraordinary record of the ship's voyage. Read full review
90
Washington PostMichael O'Sullivan
The nail-biting quality of Shackleton's true story outdoes any dramatic fiction on the market. Read full review
90
L.A. WeeklyHazel-Dawn Dumpert
Not only relates the astounding story of the expedition and its unimaginable hardships, it presents a thoughtful study of a time when there were adventurers who might actually respond to an advertisement reading "Men wanted for hazardous journey. Low wages, bitter cold . . ." Read full review
89
Austin ChronicleMarjorie Baumgarten
Never devolves into the type of “man's man” adventure story that has become so fashionable again over the last couple of years, but instead trusts the power of its unembellished images and words to tell its tale. Read full review
88
Chicago Sun-TimesRoger Ebert
What made Shackleton's adventure so immediate to later generations was that he took along a photographer, Frank Hurley, who shot motion picture film and stills. Read full review
80
Washington PostRita Kempley
An engrossing chronicle. Read full review
80
TV Guide MagazineStephen Miller
Documentarian George Butler ("Pumping Iron") wisely opted to stick to the cold, hard facts of the expedition's tale while layering in warmer material, like interviews with historians and descendants of the crew and narrator Liam Neeson's lilting bedtime-story delivery. Read full review
80
The New York TimesDana Stevens
The tale, in any case, is so gripping, so full of improbable turns and agonizing reversals that it bears repeating, and Mr. Butler and Ms. Alexander tell it straightforwardly and well. Read full review
80
Chicago ReaderLisa Alspector
Without becoming manipulative, sensational, or trite, the movie lets us know what became of the animals -- many dogs and one stowaway cat -- on the ill-fated ship. Read full review
80
VarietyJoe Leydon
Conveys enough of the stirring true-life drama recounted in Butler's other Shackleton docu to satisfy ticketbuyers who demand substance even in larger-than-life entertainment. Read full review
80
Los Angeles TimesKenneth Turan
Butler used several elements to make this story come alive, starting with that vintage Frank Hurley footage, whose rescue from icy waters is in itself something of a miracle. Read full review
75
Philadelphia InquirerCarrie Rickey
Makes for the most thrilling action movie of the year. Read full review
75
New York Daily NewsJami Bernard
The combination of the ancient tinted footage and Butler's crisp, sweeping vistas of the same areas provides a breathtaking recap of one of history's most stirring rescues. Read full review
75
Chicago TribuneJohn Petrakis
If Shackleton's adventure was to be the swan song for those 19th century explorers whose exploits stirred the imagination of young men around the globe, it was a magnificent way to say farewell. Read full review
60
Village VoiceEd Park
Still enigmatic is the figure of Shackleton himself. The film conveys his remarkable leadership without explaining (beyond a because-it's-there romanticism) what would compel such a journey in the first place. Read full review
50
Film ThreatPhil Hall
This is a curious example of taking a hair-raising story and draining the drama from every corner, leaving it a bit flat and ultimately forgettable. Read full review
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