Press

Filmmakers | Education | Credits | Awards

 

Washington Post: ‘Most Dangerous Man in America’ revisits war dissenter Daniel Ellsberg’s critical choice

Variety review by Ronnie Scheib

“A Must-See! Crams a wealth of material into 90 minutes without losing clarity or momentum. Focuses on (Ellsberg’s) moral turnaround, which directly impacted history. A unique fusion of personal and social drama.”

New York Magazine review by David Edelstein

“Riveting! A straight-ahead, enthralling story of moral courage. This story changed the world. The movie offers one revelatory interview after another. CRITICS PICK!”

LA Times review by Gary Goldstein

New York Times (review) by Mike Hale

Detailed, clearly told, persuasive

Rotten Tomatoes “The Most Dangerous Man in America: Daniel Ellsberg and the Pentagon Papers” Reviews


5 Stars…Still all too timely & necessary

AMC Film Critic

Arizona Reporter review by Harvey Karten

A gut-punching doc about the Vietnam War with obvious parallels to Iraq.

Associated Press: “Film tells story of America’s famous whistleblower

Boston Herald review

Boston Pheonix: “Interview: Daniel Ellsberg” by Chris Faraone

Boston Pheonix: “Hail to Daniel Ellsberg” by Gerald Peary

Bill Berkowitz Interview on Buzzflash with Co-Director Rick Goldsmith

CampusCircle review by Dov Rudnick

City Beat Cincinnati: “Hero or Traitor?”

CNN Video: “Ellsberg at the Oscars”

ComingSoon.net review

“This fascinating subject matter allows the filmmakers to create a documentary that is at times reminiscent of Man on Wire and The Fog of War both in tone and filmmaking prowess, and it’s equally as entertaining and informative in telling the story about a man whose legacy in helping end the Vietnam…”

Daily Californian: “Burn After Reading” by Max Siegel

Democracy Now! Interview with Daniel and Patricia Ellsberg and Judith Ehrlich

Documentary.org: “Pentagon Papers Chase: Ellsberg Doc Questions US Military Decisions–Then and Now” by Elizabeth Blozan

East Bay Express: “A Dangerous Man” by Rachel Swan

The Entertainment Bank by Charles A. Smith

Entertainment Weekly review by Owen Gleiberman

“Gripping! Almost seismic drama. A classic whistleblower tale. THE MOST DANGEROUS MAN shows you that the Pentagon Papers was really the first chapter of Watergate, the trigger that drove Richard Nixon to take the law into his own hands.”

Film Journal review by Chris Barsanti

“Earnest, smart, informative. The filmmakers do an astounding job relating how Ellsberg brought the Pentagon Papers (which laid out in plain language how the Pentagon and White House had been lying through their teeth to the public about the war) to light. It’s a thrilling, journalistic drama, easily the equal of Deep Throat.”

Filmmaker Magazine Interview by Damon Smith

“As a history lesson, Judith Ehrlich and Rick Goldsmith’s enthralling new documentary, The Most Dangerous Man in America: Daniel Ellsberg and the Pentagon Papers, is as solid as a textbook, stitching together old broadcast footage, first-person testimony, tart excerpts from the Nixon White House tapes, and noirish recreations into riveting, revelatory political drama.”

Filmweek Review on KUOR Public RadioSeptember 25, 2009 Show

The Globe and Mail: “A whistleblower’s call to arms” by James Bradshaw

Huffington Post, Whistleblowers: An interview with Daniel Ellsberg and John Dean by Ann Beeson

JWeekly: “Jewish or not, Daniel Ellsberg provides grist for a film” by Michael Fox

The Monthly: “Lessons from a Lionhearted Past” by Michael Fox

NewsBusters: “WaPo Still Celebrates Liberal Media Dominance of the Vietnam-Watergate Era” by Tim Graham

New Yorker review by David Denby

“Featuring Oval Office tapes of Richard Nixon responding to Ellsberg’s acts in his own ineffably vicious and low-minded style.”

New York Post review by V.A. Musetto

“The most exciting thriller I’ve seen in a while contains nary a car chase and doesn’t feature Will Smith. THE MOST DANGEROUS MAN IN AMERICA is as powerful as anything Hollywood can throw at us. The facts unroll with the same urgency as if they were brand-new. it was Henry Kissinger who called Ellsberg the most dangerous man in America. (Nixon, never one to mince words, said he was a son of a bitch.) Others would call Ellsberg a national hero.”

NPR: “Looking Again At America’s Most Dangerous Man” by Marc Jenkins

The Most Dangerous Man in America lives up to its subject’s importance. It’s not only a fine introduction for viewers who don’t remember the Vietnam era, but also offers some revelations to those who thought they knew it reasonably well.”

NPR’s On the Media interview

Palo Alto Online review

Progreso Weekly: “The Most Dangerous Man in the World” by Saul Landau

Pentagon Papers Panel hosted by the Columbia Journalism Review (Video)

SF 360: “Judith Ehrlich and Rick Goldsmith are taking their documentary on Daniel Ellsberg to the Oscars” by Michael Fox

San Francisco Chronicle: “Ellsberg Documentary Attracts Wide Audience” by Tamara Straus

SF Weekly: “The Most Dangerous Man in America: Daniel Ellsberg and the Pentagon Papers”

Still In Motion review

“With exceedingly well-crafted and intelligent interviews, deft, expertly-paced editing by Michael Chandler, Lawrence Lerew and Goldsmith, and a tightly written script by Lerew, Goldsmith, Ehrlich and Chandler, The Most Dangerous Man in America should be required viewing for every citizen in this nation.”

Time Out NY, The Insider (review) by Joshua Rothkopf

“The essential new documentary. A profile that works as both a biographical portrait of a man marked by personal tragedy and a study in belated conscience Henry Kissinger unwittingly lends the doc its title.”

Toronto Star, Vietnam whistle-blower revels in his new role (review)

Toronto StarTIFF reviews: Coming attractions

“In telling the dramatic tale of Daniel Ellsberg’s conversion from war-monger to peacenik, and how he used his position in the Pentagon to leak information about lies fed to the public about the Vietnam War, this doc has the great advantage of having Ellsberg narrating.”

TrustMovies review

Shoe-in for Best Doc Nomination

Tucson Citizen review

For a seminar on the Constitution and the First Amendment in action, I
highly recommend this searing expose of Daniel Ellsberg and how he elected….

Village Voice review by Nick Pinkerton

WBUR Boston’s, On Point radio show, “Candor and Afghanistan” with Daniel Ellsberg

WNYC radio, Leonard Lopate Show with Daniel and Patricia Ellsberg and Rick Goldsmith