The Crime of the Century
  • Network: HBO
  • Series Premiere Date: May 10, 2021
Metascore
84

Universal acclaim - based on 7 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 7 out of 7
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 7
  3. Negative: 0 out of 7

Critic Reviews

  1. The Daily Beast
    Reviewed by: Nick Schager
    May 10, 2021
    90
    An evisceration of Big Pharma. ... With a level-headedness that makes its takedown all the more effective, Gibney’s film shines a spotlight on the evolution of Purdue and company’s treacherous conduct.
  2. Wall Street Journal
    Reviewed by: John Anderson
    May 10, 2021
    90
    The cinema is as exhilarating as the journalism is exhaustive. Still, the style remains in service to the story. ... The opioid story in general isn’t new, but a lot of what Mr. Gibney offers is.
  3. Decider
    Reviewed by: Meghan O'Keefe
    May 6, 2021
    90
    Searing. ... Because Gibney is committed to showing the full scope of opioid-related sin, it’s hard to hang our anger on one singular party. Gibney’s most popular past documentaries left us understanding who the villains were and who the victims were. The lines get blurred when it comes to the opioid crisis in part because there are so many at fault and so many who have gotten hurt.
  5. Variety
    Reviewed by: Owen Gleiberman
    May 3, 2021
    90
    Alex Gibney’s shattering two-part, four-hour HBO documentary “The Crime of the Century” makes devastatingly clear, the opioid crisis is more than a human tragedy that has claimed half a million lives. It’s part of what America has become.
  6. The A.V. Club
    Reviewed by: Saloni Gajjar
    May 7, 2021
    83
    The documentary presents a data overload, but one that is still a statistical overview as opposed to a more in-depth look at the ramifications of the people who suffered. The Crime Of The Century isn’t able to paint a complete picture, but it’s still a powerful and edifying watch.
  7. RogerEbert.com
    Reviewed by: Nick Allen
    May 10, 2021
    75
    While the documentary has so much to share, it doesn't have the poignancy or poetry that helps such informed calls for attention to truly resonate.
  8. The Hollywood Reporter
    Reviewed by: Daniel Fienberg
    May 10, 2021
    70
    There are original documents and revelations here, but they aren’t always presented in a way that lets you know what’s new and notable about them. ... The Crime of the Century is good instead of great.

Awards & Rankings

23
#23 Best TV Season of 2021

User Reviews

All reviews »
User Score
7.3

Generally favorable reviews- based on 9 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 7 out of 9
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 9
  3. Negative: 1 out of 9
  1. CelloAfoxx
    Jul 28, 2021
    10
    This review contains spoilers, click full review link to view. This documentary was so eye opening. Living in southwest virginia i have watched this happen first hand. It's not far fetched.… Full Review »
  2. coastda
    Jun 1, 2021
    4
    Gibney is an excellent film-maker but he treads exactly the same places as virtually every other documentarian and gladly accepts every tropeGibney is an excellent film-maker but he treads exactly the same places as virtually every other documentarian and gladly accepts every trope handed to him on a platter.
    Never mind that America has suffered waves of problems with opiates, post Civil War, then allowing drugs like heroin to be sold via catalogues until 1914. Then the huge problems as the Vietnam War dragged on. Nixon's "War on Drugs" which ended decades ago, was predicated on that wave of addiction in the early 1970s. But everyone wants their era to be THE era.

    By demonizing the Sackler family for taking advantage of a medical community willing to prescribe strong narcotics for minor pain, this doubtless resulted in problems, but that kind of prescribing went on for barely 10 years. By 2010 doctors were scaling back, and the vast majority of opiates are now illegal fentanyl analogues. But the Sackers are no more guilty than the Ford family for car wrecks, or any number of American billionaires who made a killing off their product.

    The "burn the witch" mentality which drives museums to chisel the Sackler name off of hospitals to which they generously donated is absurd.

    To quote "experts" like Dr. Andrew Kolodny, who operates numerous clinics (for profit) and has accepted large sums consulting for rival drug-makers will likely appear as silly in 50 years as documentaries accusing homosexuals of nearly forfeiting America to the Commies.    … Full Review »
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