The Most Dangerous Man in America: Daniel Ellsberg and the Pentagon Papers

Name: The Most Dangerous Man in America: Daniel Ellsberg and the Pentagon Papers
Genre: Documentary
Released: September 16, 2009
Duration: 92 min
Rating: 75

2009

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Generally favorable reviews based on 18 Critic Reviews

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USER SCORE

Generally favorable reviews based on 14 Ratings

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7.5	User Score Generally favorable reviews based on 14 Ratings

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Most Dangerous Man In America: Daniel Ellsberg And The Pentagon Papers

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Movie Details & Credits

First Run Features | Release Date: September 16, 2009

Summary: During the Vietnam War, an unassuming man named Daniel Ellsberg made a judgment call that would ignite a political controversy. He leaked top secret documents known as "The Pentagon Papers" in hopes of exposing the American public to the truth about the war.

Director: Judith Ehrlich and Rick Goldsmith

Genre(s): Documentary

Runtime: 92 min

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Critic Reviews

100

Mick LaSalle

Anyone with any doubt as to the importance, in a functioning democracy, of American newspapers - with working newsrooms full of professional, paid journalists - needs to see this movie. Read full review

Steven Rea

Suffers from several goofily tacky animated reenactments and a music score that unnecessarily underlines the significance of key events, but for those who lived through the turmoil of Vietnam, and for the generations that have come since, the film is an important document in its own right. Read full review

Ty Burr

Ends on a note of triumphant populism, but the film’s bitter aftertaste hints that when we ignore the details, we only ensure they’ll be repeated. Read full review

Shawn Levy

The film sometimes feels like the kid brother of “Fog of War,” Errol Morris’s far more compelling account of the mind of Robert McNamara, Ellsberg’s one-time boss. There’s reality and depth here, but a chill, too, that the filmmaking never quite manages to melt. Read full review

Nick Pinkerton

Makes a few distracting embellishments--re-enactments (some shabbily animated), melodramatic cloak-and-dagger scoring--but in the main, it's a professional job, standing above the crowd of politico documentaries that proliferate like kudzu over arthouse screens. Read full review

Mike Hale

On the spectrum from heroic patriot to craven traitor, this detailed, clearly told and persuasive film, directed by Judith Ehrlich and Rick Goldsmith, is firmly on the side of heroic. Read full review

David Fear

His “treason” gave credence to ending the war, helped push a corrupt administration toward its ruin and underlined the importance of the First Amendment. Rickety doc or not, Ellsberg deserves every ounce of hero worship he gets here. Read full review

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OscarPicks2010

Dec 4, 2010

The title is not as clear as it may sound. The Most Dangerous Man In America... is about the war of Vietnam and how Daniel Ellsberg gave the public a whole new view of the war. The documentary gathered lots of facts that had been buried for years and delivered the facts quite elegantly.The title is not as clear as it may sound. The Most Dangerous Man In America... is about the war of Vietnam and how Daniel Ellsberg gave the public a whole new view of the war. The documentary gathered lots of facts that had been buried for years and delivered the facts quite elegantly. Daniel Ellsberg appeared in the film telling his own story. From when he leaked the top secret documents to the time when he made President Nixon resigned. The Most Dangerous Man In America: Daniel Ellsberg and The Pentagon Papers is an elegant documentary with a great storytelling of what exactly happened during the Vietnam War.… Expand

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