The Seven Five
IFC Films | Release Date: May 7, 2015 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
69
METASCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 11 Critic Reviews
Positive:
8
Mixed:
2
Negative:
1
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
70
Los Angeles TimesMichael RechtshaffenMay 14, 2015
It would be hard to imagine a more entertaining corrupt-cop documentary than The Seven Five, a slick and fascinating portrait of disgraced New York policeman Michael Dowd. Read full review
60
New York Daily NewsJoe NeumaierMay 13, 2015
Director Tiller Russell sometimes get sidetracked — a dangerous thing in a story that already has a lot of twists, turns and off-ramps. But it’s a story you have to hear, from the guys who lived it and may never live it down. Read full review
80
New York Magazine (Vulture)David EdelsteinMay 11, 2015
The tagline for Tiller Russell’s riveting new documentary, The Seven Five is “Meet the dirtiest cop in NYC history,” which I suspect does a profound disservice to a lot of other NYC policemen, past and present — although none of them are likely to write letters of complaint. Read full review
88
RogerEbert.comGodfrey CheshireMay 8, 2015
This kind of story has been told endlessly in dramatic movies and TV shows, but rarely has a film offered characters like these telling their own stories. Read full review
50
The New York TimesManohla DargisMay 7, 2015
A movie like The Seven Five has only minor use as a historical document; its principal function is to package gonzo tales of bad behavior into commercial entertainment that plays down the real suffering behind those stories. Read full review
67
The A.V. ClubKeith UhlichMay 6, 2015
Dowd is the film’s main interviewee, telling his story with a hyped-up machismo that makes him seem like a Scorsese character come to life. The biggest issue with The Seven Five is that it often feels like it’s mimicking Saint Marty’s stylistic and thematic bag of tricks. Read full review
100
New York PostKyle SmithMay 6, 2015
It’s that priceless dialogue, the bitter ironies, the magnificently skeevy cast of characters and even the overall structure that make The Seven Five “Goodfellas” in blue. Read full review
63
Movie NationRoger MooreMay 6, 2015
Although well-told, it’s an over-familiar story, and a sad one. And being far enough removed from the issues that have police in the spotlight post-Ferguson, The Seven Five also feels a little dated. Remember when all we had to worry about was cops going on the take? Read full review
90
Village VoiceAlan ScherstuhlMay 5, 2015
The Seven Five makes for a fascinating character study, but the doc's drama is also compelling. Read full review
80
The DissolveScott TobiasMay 5, 2015
Director Tiller Russell doesn’t spin this gripping tale out of cinematic bravado like Scorsese—just extensive interviews with all the people involved, footage of a commission hearing after the fact, and a wealth of stock material on Brooklyn’s East Side. But he paints a vivid picture all the same. Read full review
25
Slant MagazineChristopher GrayMay 4, 2015
It relays a story of police corruption that's transparently designed as a pitch for a feature-film adaptation. Read full review
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