The Most Dangerous Man in America: Daniel Ellsberg and the Pentagon Papers
First Run Features | Release Date: September 16, 2009 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
75
METASCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 18 Critic Reviews
Positive:
17
Mixed:
1
Negative:
0
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
100
San Francisco ChronicleMick 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
100
St. Louis Post-DispatchJoe Williams
An exciting cloak-and-dagger thriller. Read full review
88
Boston GlobeTy 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
88
Washington PostAnn Hornaday
Manages to be both engrossing history and astonishingly germane to present-day political debates. Read full review
88
Philadelphia InquirerSteven 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
83
Christian Science MonitorPeter Rainer
Ellsberg, his full-scale personal trajectory laid bare, emerges as a more complex man than both the right and the left have generally given him credit for. Read full review
80
Los Angeles TimesGary Goldstein
The gripping story of how hawk-turned-dove Ellsberg's explosive actions circuitously led to the impeachment of Richard Nixon and, in turn, an end to the Vietnam War is comprehensively detailed in Judith Ehrlich and Rick Goldsmith's evocative documentary. Read full review
75
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)Rick Groen
Those who lived through the Vietnam War era, and paid attention, will find this documentary short on revelation but long on poignant reminders. Read full review
75
Chicago Sun-TimesRoger Ebert
It is a skillful, well-made film, although, since Ellsberg is the narrator, it doesn't probe him very deeply. Read full review
75
Portland OregonianShawn 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
70
VarietyRonnie Scheib
Crams a wealth of material into 90 minutes without losing clarity or momentum. Read full review
70
Village VoiceNick 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
70
The Hollywood ReporterChris Barsanti
Offers a brisk and eye-opening approach to recent history. The title, by the way, comes from Henry Kissinger. Read full review
70
The New York TimesMike 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
70
Chicago ReaderJ.R. Jones
Ehrlich and Goldsmith carve out their own little place in the canon by focusing on the ethical journey of one man who refused to shrug off his own responsibility for the war and atoned for it with a seismic act of civil disobedience. Read full review
67
The A.V. ClubNathan Rabin
It’s a fascinating story, it doesn’t always make for a fascinating documentary. Read full review
67
Austin ChronicleMarjorie Baumgarten
It's a bit surprising that a documentary with such an unwieldy title offers such a streamlined and resonant account of history. Read full review
60
Time OutDavid 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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