The Invisible War
Cinedigm Entertainment Group | Release Date: June 22, 2012 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
75
METASCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 19 Critic Reviews
Positive:
18
Mixed:
1
Negative:
0
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
91
The A.V. ClubScott TobiasJun 20, 2012
Though Dick focuses heavily on just a few women, The Invisible War builds to a stunning montage of victim after victim telling their story to the camera without pseudonyms or silhouettes. Read full review
90
TimeRichard CorlissJun 21, 2012
Repressing its rage to tell an important story, The Invisible War identifies soldiers who are true heroes because they dared to fight for justice. Read full review
83
Entertainment WeeklyLisa SchwarzbaumJun 21, 2012
The intense interviews and damning statistics (20 percent of all female personnel have experienced sexual assault) do the work of whipping up outrage. Read full review
80
Total FilmKen McIntyreMar 10, 2014
Directed with straightforward economy, The Invisible War sheds much-needed light on a very dark secret. Read full review
80
MovielineAlison WillmoreJun 25, 2012
The Invisible War might be best judged as a piece of activism, in which case it's already succeeding - after seeing the film in April, Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta took the responsibility for sexual assault investigations away from commanding officers and put them in the hands of higher-ranking officials. Read full review
80
The New York TimesA.O. ScottJun 21, 2012
This means that the violations chronicled in The Invisible War are compounded by a deep and terrible betrayal, which ripples outward from the various branches of the service into the society as a whole. This is not a movie that can be ignored. Read full review
80
New York Daily NewsElizabeth WeitzmanJun 21, 2012
Every adult who owes a debt of gratitude to American soldiers should see Kirby Dick's heartbreaking documentary about sexual violence in the military. Read full review
80
The Hollywood ReporterDavid RooneyJun 16, 2012
Kirby Dick's shocking investigation into widespread sexual assault in the U.S. military is an urgent call to action. Read full review
75
Washington PostAnn HornadayJun 28, 2012
Dick, whose films include a revealing expose about the movie industry's film ratings board, has created yet another galvanizing call to action with The Invisible War. Read full review
75
Chicago Sun-TimesRoger EbertJun 27, 2012
The film's implication, quite starkly, is that a strong military doesn't favor crybabies, that a certain degree of rape is unavoidable - and inevitably, that some women may have been asking for it. One hearing noted that the victim was dressed provocatively. In her official uniform. Read full review
75
New York PostSara StewartJun 22, 2012
For sheer infuriation value, you can't do much better than Kirby Dick's quietly scathing documentary on rape in the US military. Read full review
75
San Francisco ChronicleAmy BiancolliJun 21, 2012
Make no mistake, this is advocacy cinema; interviews with Defense Department and military officials notwithstanding, there's not much effort, on Dick's part or anyone else's, to consider any point of view besides the victims' and those who love or speak for them. That's what makes it difficult to watch. And that's what makes it necessary. Read full review
75
Slant MagazineJun 17, 2012
Kirby Dick's spartan use of graphics and statistics conveys arguments with little grandstanding. Read full review
70
Chicago ReaderJ.R. JonesJun 28, 2012
Dick focuses on a handful of women who were sexually assaulted while on active duty, but they're only the tip of the iceberg; according to the film, which draws all its statistics from government reports, more than 20 percent of female veterans have been assaulted. Read full review
70
Boxoffice MagazineRay GreeneJun 15, 2012
The Invisible War is that rare, issues-driven documentary that is so powerful it's apt to change minds. Read full review
70
VarietyRob NelsonJun 15, 2012
An aptly infuriating expose of sexual abuse within the U.S. military, Kirby Dick's documentary The Invisible War calls high-ranking officials to account for turning a blind eye to a violent epidemic. Read full review
70
Village VoiceNicolas RapoldJun 15, 2012
The Invisible War, though revelatory, is perhaps the most straightforward film yet from a director who likes to broach the fault lines of sex and society. Read full review
63
Boston GlobeMark FeeneyJul 5, 2012
Rules and regulations, which the military is very good at, are about behavior. Law is about justice. The Invisible War makes all too clear that the military isn't very good at justice. Read full review
60
Time OutDavid FearJun 19, 2012
These victims are now no longer invisible-an achievement that shouldn't be dishonorably dismissed. Read full review
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