Kingdom of Silence
  • Network: SHOWTIME
  • Series Premiere Date: Oct 2, 2020
User Score
6.5

Generally favorable reviews- based on 13 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 9 out of 13
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 13
  3. Negative: 4 out of 13

Review this tv show

  1. Your Score
    0 out of 10
    Rate this:
    • 10
    • 9
    • 8
    • 7
    • 6
    • 5
    • 4
    • 3
    • 2
    • 1
    • 0
    • 0
  1. Submit
  2. Check Spelling

User Reviews

view
per page
  1. thedarkbird
    Oct 11, 2020
    10
    'We have both political and economical reasons to maintain a relationship with Saudi Arabia. Saudi Arabia is a strategic ally, and I do think that outweighs the death of one person.' These pragmatic and harsh words come from David Rundell, a former US diplomat and expert on Saudi Arabia. And that summarizes the cynical reality of how this world works, and how human life, or in this case:'We have both political and economical reasons to maintain a relationship with Saudi Arabia. Saudi Arabia is a strategic ally, and I do think that outweighs the death of one person.' These pragmatic and harsh words come from David Rundell, a former US diplomat and expert on Saudi Arabia. And that summarizes the cynical reality of how this world works, and how human life, or in this case: one human life, journalist Jamal Khashoggi, will not stand in the way of money and power.

    This is not Hollywood where the hero wins against all odds. This is a hard and cold lesson in reality, which - more often than not - does not have a happy ending. Essential to watch. Hard to cope with.    … Expand

Awards & Rankings

31
#31 Best TV Season of 2020
29
#29 Most Shared TV Season of 2020

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
82

Universal acclaim - based on 9 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 9 out of 9
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 9
  3. Negative: 0 out of 9
  1. The Playlist
    Reviewed by: Chris Barsanti
    Oct 5, 2020
    83
    Rowley, a veteran director and producer of PBS documentaries, jolts his story along with crisp editing and a dense lattice of in-the-know interviewees. ... here “Kingdom of Silence” is most effective is using his [Khashoggi's] story as a personal mirror to the geopolitical dramas that crash all through this movie.
    Read full review
  2. Salon
    Reviewed by: Melanie McFarland
    Oct 2, 2020
    90
    It is extraordinary to view the trajectory of modern relations between the Middle East and the United States through one man's career. But Rowley's assessment of Khashoggi through "Kingdom of Silence" acknowledges the profile's incompleteness, as any truthful portrait of a man and his contradictions would be. ... So many aspects of the man are unknowable and a wealth of him left unsaid. Such ambiguity only makes the film that more absorbing and visceral to experience.
    Read full review
  3. RogerEbert.com
    Reviewed by: Carlos Aguilar
    Oct 2, 2020
    75
    With a lot of ground to cover, “Kingdom of Silence” wears too many hats. It’s a history lesson, a biography, and a true crime tale all at once because the parts are understandably inextricable, but more evenness in the distribution of time spent on each would have helped. More than just an homage to Khashoggi’s life, what’s most notable about Rowley’s work here is how direct he is in calling out American hypocrisy through the interviews or the facts disclosed.
    Read full review
See all critic reviews »