79
Metascore
12 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 100San Francisco ChronicleEdward GuthmannSan Francisco ChronicleEdward GuthmannExtraordinary.
- 100Christian Science MonitorDavid SterrittChristian Science MonitorDavid SterrittIndelible images and brilliant use of unconventional music make this a nonfiction film that must be seen – and heard – to be believed.
- 90New York Magazine (Vulture)Peter RainerNew York Magazine (Vulture)Peter RainerWhat's remarkable is how often the photographer's subjects allow themselves to be caught on film; it's as if they understood implicitly that Nachtwey was there not only to agitate for reform but to memorialize their agony. He does both.
- 90The New York TimesDana StevensThe New York TimesDana StevensDocumenting war is a small, partial but indispensable step toward its eventual eradication. Mr. Frei's quiet, engrossing film is a sad and stirring testimony to this vision and to the quiet, self-effacing heroism with which Mr. Nachtwey has pursued it.
- 80TV Guide MagazineKen FoxTV Guide MagazineKen FoxFrei assembles a fascinating profile of a deeply humanistic artist who, in spite of all that he's witnessed, remains surprisingly idealistic, and retains an extraordinary faith in the ability of images to communicate the truth of the world around him.
- 75New York Daily NewsJami BernardNew York Daily NewsJami BernardNachtwey's pictures tell a tale of grief and suffering, and Frei's you-are-there approach gives those photos startling immediacy.
- 75New York PostLou LumenickNew York PostLou LumenickA misleadingly bland title for a gripping documentary.
- 75Chicago TribuneMichael WilmingtonChicago TribuneMichael WilmingtonFinally, the film answers a question that obviously haunts Nachtwey: Is it immoral, callous or irresponsible to win fame and recognition from images of the terror, death and suffering of others?
- 70Village VoiceJessica WinterVillage VoiceJessica WinterThe photographer's show-don't-tell stance is admirable, but it can make him a problematic documentary subject. War Photographer infers the psychological and physical toll of his peripatetic existence, but provides scant insight into his technique.
- 50The A.V. ClubThe A.V. ClubThe scenes of death, starvation, and destruction are affecting, but they don't say much about the actual subject of the film.