Going Upriver - The Long War of John Kerry (2004)
Average Rating: 7.2/10
Reviews Counted: 83
Fresh: 74 | Rotten: 9
Interesting and revealing footage of both Kerry and the Vietnam era in general.
Average Rating: 7.2/10
Critic Reviews: 33
Fresh: 29 | Rotten: 4
Interesting and revealing footage of both Kerry and the Vietnam era in general.
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Average Rating: 3.3/5
User Ratings: 974
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Douglas Brinkley's best-selling novel Tour of Duty follows 2004 presidential hopeful John Kerry's years in Vietnam and goes on to illustrate his contribution to peace advocacy groups after being honorably discharged from the Navy. Both of these events, according to George Butler, Tour of Duty director and long-time friend of Senator Kerry, had a profound impact on the politician's personal ideologies, and provided the foundation for Kerry's career. Kerry, who hired Butler as his press secretary
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All Critics (91) | Top Critics (38) | Fresh (74) | Rotten (9) | DVD (1)
This should be revelatory to most people -- but most people will probably never see Mr. Butler's film, and certainly none of those who consider George W. Bush as next to God.
Top CriticOne of the most moving things for me was seeing that some of the high-ranking politicians really did recognize that, hey, we need to meet with these young men and hear what they have to say and that footage is amazing stuff.
Butler is on record as a close friend of Kerry's, but he's also a well-respected documentarian, who introduced Arnold Schwarzenegger to America in Pumping Iron and chronicled the heroism of Ernest Shackleton in The Endurance.
Filmgoers in the mood for one more go-round will be fascinated by this documentary by George Butler.
It underscores, with ample footage from his rallying speeches and his 1971 testimony before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, just how important it was for the antiwar movement to be represented by someone like Kerry.
compelling story without fancy gimmicks and trickery
It's too bad that Kerry's likely to lose the upcoming election, because this type of hagiography would be far better in the unlikely event that Mr. "Wartime" President is going to be defeated.
...even Kerry fans might be made wistful... Where has that young man gone? Whatever happened to him?
Going Upriver is lucky enough to have at its disposal a genuinely charismatic figure whose sense of his own citizenship is rigorous, questioning, and articulate.
It's only OK as a movie, but it's a fantastic political ad.
Butler's film may do little to change the outcome of the election, but anyone who questions Kerry's convictions should see Going Upriver before casting their vote.
There's an innocence, a purity in intention ... that one rarely sees in a documentary.
It's not angry or loud; it hopes that the truth spoken at a moderate level is stronger than lies trumpeted on national television.
A serious, often very moving portrait of the effect the Vietnam War had on the nation and particularly those who served in it.
Butler's style is lot like Kerry's: analytic, deliberate, a bit plodding, but always with his eyes on the prize.
We can only wish all candidates for such high office could match or even come close to the standards of qualification set by Kerry.
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