Mr. Berlinger has both a strong narrative instinct and a keen eye for incongruous, evocative and powerful images.
Comment
09/09/09
Crude (2009)
96
%
Tomatometer
How does the Tomatometer work 
Reviews Counted:45
Fresh:43
Rotten:2
Average Rating:7.6/10
Consensus: Dynamic, tightly arranged, and deliberately provocative, Joe Berlinger's Crude is a sobering, enraging wake-up call.
Rated: Not Rated
Genre: Education/General Interest
Theatrical Release:Sep 9, 2009 Limited
Synopsis: Director Joe Berlinger continues in the tradition of his justice-driven films BROTHER’S KEEPER and PARADISE LOST with this documentary. CRUDE travels to South America, where it investigates the... [More]
Director: Joe Berlinger
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Reviews for Crude
Top CriticA well-balanced and thought-provoking documentary that doesn't forget the cinema-going experience needs to entertain as well as educate.
06/29/09
This isn't just a story of right and wrong, it's a story of money and media and, most of all, spin.
10/12/09
A provocative, well-balanced, illuminating and thoroughly engrossing documentary.
09/11/09
while Berlinger allows the film to get a little too star-struck, spending less time with the winningly humble patchwork alliance doing the lawsuit's hard work, Crude at least acknowledges the reason behind this shift
09/08/09
An elegantly structured, horrifying film that shows the vanishing rainforest may be the least of the Amazon's worries.
11/13/09
A gripping, multifaceted thriller about media politics, global economics, and legal infighting. Wherever your sympathies fall, this may teach you a lot about the way the modern world works.
12/03/09
"Crude" is a knock-your-socks-off documentary that will leave you speechless. It's the best documentary of the year.
08/22/09
'Crude,' thankfully, brings insight and urgency to an issue that has until recently been ignored
12/06/09
Berlinger doesn't counter Chevron's counter charges with facts and figures. With footage of petrochemical-sludge swamps and babies covered with flaming sores, he doesn't especially need to.
09/07/09
Top CriticAn engrossing case for justice.
12/03/09
Top CriticOne has to wonder if oil industry executives are concerned about the release of Joe Berlinger's damning documentary.
12/03/09
Involving doc about the devastating impact of oil exploration on Ecuador's rainforest community.
09/09/09
Crude is both a tribute to human-rights tenacity and a sobering account of the multinational-Moloch greed that can keep justice in limbo.
09/08/09
A dynamic and dramatic documentary about the David vs. Goliath dimensions of the "Amazon Chernobyl" case where indigenous tribal groups are fighting the multinational corporation Chevron.
09/11/09
Keeps a tight focus on a sprawling topic, condensing three years of production into a narrative that neatly lays out the history of the controversy, the opposing viewpoints and key players
09/09/09
A stinging indictment of the huge Chevron corporation, which has been sued for despoiling the Ecuadorian Amazon to the severe detriment of the indigenous population.
09/04/09
Berlinger provides a bracing and intelligent look at how such battles are (and perhaps must be) fought in a world that's hardly lacking when it comes to tales of injustice.
10/09/09
Top CriticCrude unfolds like a pretty good legal thriller. Which, when you really think about it, is what this documentary feature is.
12/10/09
Berlinger gives a good amount of time to the big oil representatives, but it's clear that he's on the side of the people. Aside from that, Crude is a fine work of journalism.
09/10/09
Latest News for Crude
September 10, 2009:
Critics Consensus: 9 Looks Great, But The Plot's Weak
This week at the movies, we've got post-apocalyptic conflict (9, with voice work by Elijah Wood and Jennifer Connelly); Antarctic intrigue (Whiteout, starring Kate Beckinsale... More...
August 11, 2009:
Trailer & Poster review 
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