Here, he has assembled a single-minded, no-nonsense account of Kerry's stint in Vietnam, a subject that has been covered only superficially by the media and negated by his opponents.
Comment
10/01/04
Going Upriver: The Long War of John Kerry (2004)
90
%
Tomatometer
How does the Tomatometer work 
Reviews Counted:81
Fresh:73
Rotten:8
Average Rating:7.3/10
Consensus: Interesting and revealing footage of both Kerry and the Vietnam era in general.
Rated: Not Rated
Genre: Musical & Performing Arts
Theatrical Release:Oct 1, 2004 Limited
Box Office: $480,752
Synopsis: GOING UPRIVER: THE LONG WAR OF JOHN KERRY is an extraordinary inside look at a politician, where he has come from, and how these roots have driven him forward in his public life. As a Vietnam war... [More]
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Reviews for Going Upriver: The Long War of John Kerry
A frank portrait of Kerry and his generation, coming of age under fire both literally and politically.
10/01/04
The archival footage is a potent reminder that even if the country's mood today is divisive, the level of dissent pales before that of three decades ago.
10/01/04
Knowing this much about the frankly impressive early years of one candidate certainly casts him in a new light, one beyond the sound bites and attack ads.
10/01/04
Butler does an adroit job of indicating that John O'Neill — the architect of the present smear attacks on Kerry's war record — has his own inglorious history.
10/01/04
It is difficult to leave this movie without the conviction that Kerry's wartime experience was anything but honorable, regardless of how you feel about his leadership role in Vietnam Veterans Against the War.
10/01/04
Top CriticTo be sure it’s blatantly partisan, but this documentary about the current presidential candidate’s youth is also a moving exploration of Vietnam veterans who ended up protesting the very war they had fought in.
10/01/04
Butler makes the case that Kerry fought bravely as commander of a swift boat, then mustered another kind of courage -- no less patriotic--in protesting the futility of that conflict.
10/01/04
An unabashed paean to Kerry's character at a time in the presidential election when Kerry's character is being questioned
10/01/04
Going Upriver is talky, slow-moving and surprisingly superficial, more like a campaign informercial.
10/01/04
Though the film is superbly crafted and occasionally - as with footage of Kerry's testimony before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee - inspiring, it figures to be another sitting duck in the free-fire zone declared by the GOP.
10/01/04
Top CriticFilmmaker George Butler's meticulous collage of home movies, newsreel clips and still photography deposits us in the thick of that era with startling immediacy and a commitment to documentation that leaves no touchstone unturned.
10/01/04
Butler's film still manages to accomplish what the candidate's foundering campaign has utterly failed to do.
10/01/04
Top CriticAny open-minded person would have to agree that questions about his valor get settled here.
10/01/04
What it shows is not just the Vietnam War experiences of John Forbes Kerry but the experiences of the men who were with him and of the generation from which the candidate's story cannot be extracted.
10/01/04
Going Upriver, unlike some of the other documentaries that have been released this year, will maintain its value even after the elections are over.
10/01/04
Top CriticIf you want to know about Kerry's formative years, this movie will tell you.
10/01/04
Top CriticHis film is pro-Kerry, yes, but the focus is on history, not polemics, and provides a record of the crucial role of the Vietnam Veterans Against the War, who because of their credentials could not be dismissed as peaceniks.
10/01/04
Top CriticButler's mission might have been better served by giving Kerry's critics some say.
10/01/04
The movie is guaranteed to engage the decided and undecided alike, regardless of party affiliations.
10/01/04
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