Click to read the article
Guerrilla: The Taking of Patty Hearst (2004)
Tomatometer
How does the Tomatometer work ![]()
Reviews Counted:46
Fresh:40
Rotten:6
Average Rating:7.3/10
Consensus: Guerilla is a riveting documentary that chronicles in enlightening fashion the 1974 kidnapping of heiress Patty Hearst.
Theatrical Release:Nov 26, 2004 Limited
Box Office: $22,444
Synopsis: In 1974, young Patty Hearst became a media icon after she was kidnapped from her apartment by a group calling itself the Symbionese Liberation Army (SLA). At the time, Patty was an impressionable... In 1974, young Patty Hearst became a media icon after she was kidnapped from her apartment by a group calling itself the Symbionese Liberation Army (SLA). At the time, Patty was an impressionable college student who happened to be the granddaughter of the infamous William Randolph Hearst. The SLA's demands on Hearst's family were unique; hoping to spark a class war in America, they instructed the Hearsts to make a multimillion dollar donation of food to the poor. But the story firmly imprinted itself in the history books when, two months after the initial abduction, Patty appeared to have joined forces with the SLA, and was caught on camera wielding a gun as the team robbed a bank. This documentary on Hearst's story offers some fascinating insights on what happened to her during her time with the SLA. Some startling footage has been unearthed, and some former members of the SLA come forward to give their accounts of the story. Hearst has subsequently enjoyed a post-kidnapping career as an actress, and has appeared in a number of films by the infamous "Pope of Trash" John Waters, whose 2000 film CECIL B. DEMENTED owes a sizable debt to Hearst's kidnapping tale. [More]
Director: Robert Stone
Director: Robert Stone
Studio: Magnolia Pictures
Get This Movie
Reviews for Guerrilla: The Taking of Patty Hearst
A fascinating reminder of the level of political discontent in America during the early 1970s.
Guerrilla, though a bit less seamless than similar docs such as The Weather Underground, is an absorbing glimpse of some rather strange American history.
British director Robert Stone takes a dispassionate look at this circus, and his retelling of events makes the situation more complicated than I remembered.
A compelling piece of press criticism as it probes the media as terror's conduit of choice, spreading message and validating violence in the 1970s and today.
A must-see account that casts a harshly illuminating light on a key period of recent American history.
Guerrilla is so dull that it almost makes you wonder what was all the fuss about the Symbionese Liberation Army.
A mostly compelling and exceedingly fair-minded look back at the case.
Fine as far as it goes -- a worthy lesson in counter-culture history and the rise of media hysteria.
It's the death of radicalism (and the SLA's criminality, sure) that's being documented in this gripping, fascinating film.
A gripping documentary that uses voluminous period evidence ... to brilliantly reconstruct the entire freak event.
It's like watching a movie about Bonnie and Clyde that fails to mention the Depression.
| Tomatometer Percentage | Movie |
|---|---|
| 15% 15% | The Ugly Truth |
| 98% 98% | Up |
| 36% 36% | G.I. Joe: The Rise of … |
| 52% 52% | The Taking of Pelham 1… |
| 45% 45% | Ice Age: Dawn of the D… |
| Tomatometer Percentage | Movie |
|---|---|
| 36% 36% | Angels & Demons |
| 68% 68% | Funny People |
| 25% 25% | Four Christmases |
| 45% 45% | Shorts |
RT On Current TV
DIRECTV 358 | Comcast 107 | DISH Network 196 | More...
What’s Hot On RT
Other News
CloseSponsored Links
Around The Network
- Guerrilla: The Taking of Patty Hearst at Rotten Tomatoes
- Guerrilla: The Taking of Patty Hearst at IGN
- Guerrilla: The Taking of Patty Hearst at AskMen
Fresh Links
Featured

The director talks about puppetry perfection and his film, Fantastic Mr. Fox

Hollywood.com ponders whether or not an animated film could win Best Picture.

Richard Corliss previews the season's best offerings and hottest tickets.

The AV Club's Mike D'Angelo airs his beefs with Alfonso Cuaron's Children of Men.
Promos

Get the latest Tomatometer updates on upcoming movies!



Top Critic



