Praise for Joe Berlinger's CRUDE
CRITICS' PICK “Thorough and impassioned …Berlinger has both a strong narrative instinct and a keen eye for incongruous, evocative and powerful images…intelligently and artfully made.” - A.O. Scott, The New York Times
“A fascinating case study of real world political action.” - Kenneth Turan, The Los Angeles Times
"An inspiring David-and-Goliath tale!" - Owen Gleiberman, Entertainment Weekly
“Remarkable…(Berlinger is) a master of true-crime vérité … In the gripping, intrinsically cinematic Crude, he does an equally superb job of taking us through the twists and turns of the decade-and-a-half, multibillion-dollar class-action lawsuit filed by the Cofán against Chevron.” - Scott Foundas, The Village Voice
"A sprawling legal thriller with rare depth and power." - Stephen Holden, The New York Times
“A Herculean work of investigative journalism.” - Ed Gonzales, Village Voice
“Crude should be on the short list for Academy Award consideration now that the word is spreading.” - Roger Friedman, The Hollywood Reporter
" One has to wonder if oil industry executives are concerned about the release of Joe Berlinger's damning documentary, or if they plan to ignore its accusations entirely. The latter seems most likely, given the corporate inhumanity Berlinger ferociously exposes."
-Elizabeth Weitzman, New York Daily News
"Crude will be in the thick of the Oscar fight." - Marshall Fine, Huffington Post
"A powerhouse of a documentary! This one means to shake you. And in Berlinger's hands, it does." -Peter Travers, Rolling Stone
“Fascinating, dramatic, riveting.” - Chuleenan Svetvilas, Mother Jones
“A forceful, often infuriating story about Big Oil and little people.”
- Manohla Dargis, The New York Times
“High-impact activist doc…vital.” - David Edelstein, New York Magazine
“Gripping... Cinematic. The most urgent film I’ve seen at Sundance this year.”
- Scott Foundas, LA Weekly
"Tenacious, comprehensive, well-researched. A crucial document...must-viewing for those who care about the planet." -Eric Monder, Hollywood Reporter
“A fascinating and important story. Crude does an extraordinary job of merging journalism and art.” - Christiane Amanpour, CNN Chief International Correspondent
"An amazing, sobering, heartbreaking film. Beautifully shot, it captures the magic of the Amazon, and the horrors inflicted upon it...and also the beauty of the Ecuadorian people."
- Howard Zinn
"With the same distinctive fly-on-the-wall style he used to shine a harsh light on Metallica in Some Kind of Monter, Joe Berlinger's newest film puts Chevron in the spotlight. One of this year's most refreshingly necessary documentaries." - Men's Journal
“Both legal thriller and heartbreaking human rights drama.” - Anthony Kaufman, Utne Reader
“Sophisticated, multifaceted cinematic surrogate trial…so much more compelling knowing that there are visible human faces defending both sides…It's a constant fight between opposing interests and hence one the viewer can really engage with.”
- Simon Abrams, L Magazine
"A piece of magic ... Crude is absolutely the most powerful, emotion-provoking, heart-wrenching, best documentary I have ever seen."
- John Perkins, Author, Confessions of an Economic Hit Man
“An engrossing case for justice. Colorful personalities on both sides, incriminating news/archival footage, slick assembly and Berlinger's narrative smarts make this unusually involving...” - Dennis Harvey, Variety
"Transcendent! The film devastates the audience... Berlinger repeatedly turns his camera on images that shake us to our core... And as the film rolls forward, it generates an overwhelming amount of suspense... Berlinger continues to assert himself as the master of his craft." - Nathan Southern, All Movie Guide
"A polished and haunting work of humanistic journalism, the film is passionate enough to follow its subjects in the ground-level combat of street demonstrations and office showdowns, and astute enough to understand the important roles a Vanity Fair article or a Trudie Styler endorsement can play in a cause. Crude is both a tribute to human-rights tenacity and a sobering account of the multinational-Moloch greed that can keep justice in limbo." -Fernando F. Croce, Slant Magazine
"A gripping account of corporate malfeasance, striking a good balance between ecological elegy and real-life legal thriller." -Time Out London
"Enthralling... Although he follows events from the perspective of the Ecuadorians, Berlinger maintains a refreshing and clear-sighted intellectual honesty: Chevron's representatives are allowed plenty of space to make their arguments." -The Lancet
 “(A) must see … beautifully crafted…Crude is one of 2009's best documentaries.”
- Jennifer Merin, About.com
"Crude is remarkably clear-eyed in the way it shows how even people on the right side of a cause only succeed if they’re willing to play a little dirty." -Noel Murray, The Onion AV Club
"Crude is a fine work of journalism, gathering an incredible amount of facts and presenting them with clarity and perspective." -Jeffrey Anderson, Combustible Celluloid
"A+! A knock-your-socks-off documentary that will leave you speechless. It's the best documentary of the year." - Cole Smithy
“Despite, or perhaps because of, its even-handed approach, Crude is a powerful advocate… a moving amalgam of international politics, legal drama and grassroots activism.” - David Becker, Documentary.org
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