Average Rating: 8.1/10
Reviews Counted: 22
Fresh: 22 | Rotten: 0
No consensus yet.
Average Rating: 8/10
Critic Reviews: 11
Fresh: 11 | Rotten: 0
No consensus yet.
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Average Rating: 4/5
User Ratings: 2,691
A hotly contested political race generates a wealth of drama in this documentary from filmmaker Marshall Curry. Sharpe James is a veteran politician who has been mayor of Newark, NJ, since 1986; by the admission of his own spokespeople, James is a "machine" politician who uses muscle and influence to get things done, and while he's enjoyed the fruits of his success, his administration has been accused of having a long history of corruption. In 2002, Cory Booker, a lawyer who was a member of the
Jan 1, 2005 Wide
Jan 9, 2007
Marshall Curry Productions
All Critics (22) | Top Critics (11) | Fresh (23) | Rotten (0) | DVD (5)
It's utterly fascinating, and if you don't follow New Jersey politics, you will be kept in the dark about the outcome of this 2002 race almost to the end.
[Marshall] Curry's picture is must-see fare for any and every observer of the curious world of American politics.
The documentary is simple and strong and small. Its grit lifts it above its mechanical shortcomings.
If you didn't already realize that politics can be a dirty business, then Marshall Curry's Oscar-nominated documentary will set you straight.
In brief, Marshall Curry, the young director of Street Fight, has hit the documentary jackpot.
James is his own worst enemy in the documentary, behaving in public as a near caricature of Boss Tweed. But he won and is now serving out his fifth term.
Funny, infuriating, and suspenseful, Street Fight is both a critique of the process and a vindication.
Street Fight isn't going to restore your faith in our desperately broken electoral system, but Cory Booker -- and the last moments of the movie -- may help you harbor that little flame of hope.
"...completely gripping and enraging."
a primer for any aspiring politician to see the worst of what he can expect
Booker and James square-off for a heavyweight political fight reminiscent of Holyfield vs. Tyson, except for the eating of ears.
An eye-opening expose' which would be considered comical were it not for the fact that Newark was a city in crisis due to the absence of ethics which had saturated City Hall.
It's essential viewing to prove to yourself that you're not so cynical after all.
an amazing work, thrilling and informative in equal amounts, reminding us that democracy isn't just fought over on message boards and foreign battlegrounds, but also on our very streets
There's no question which side Curry favors, but he turns Street Fight into an old fashioned political yarn, featuring hand-pumping and baby-kissing, but also a dash of blood fury.
It's a fascinating film, simultaneously enthralling, infuriating and guaranteed to make viewers ask how such a perversion of the political process could be taking place in America.
It's kind of reassuring to see good old-fashioned dirty politics practiced with as much gusto as they are in the Oscar-nominated documentary Street Fight.
This is classical activist filmmaking of the first order, a movie with the power to turn hearts, change minds and, just maybe, right the wayward course of an entire city.
A well spun, if moralized and occasionally amateur, tale on the inequities of city-level politiking.The films subject matter is engaging, and is more than enough to carry the film, and this is lucky, because the actual skill behind the documentary is lackluster, however honest and diligent it may be.
April 12, 2008Super Reviewer
"Street Fight" is an enlightening documentary about the 2002 Newark, New Jersey mayoral election between four-time incumbent Sharpe James and challenger Cory Booker, a first-term city councilman, originally from the suburbs, who moved to Newark to make a difference, living in the low-income housing project, Brick
June 26, 2007Super Reviewer
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