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A searing indictment of big business and greed, Who Killed The Electric Car? is a well-tuned doc that simultaneously entertains and enrages.
All Critics (105) | Top Critics (37) | Fresh (93) | Rotten (12) | DVD (6)
Another few of these squandered opportunities for art-house muckraking and we'll need someone to ask who killed the left-wing documentary. Aug 27, 2009 | Full Review…
Another few of these squandered opportunities for art-house muckraking and we'll need someone to ask who killed the left-wing documentary.
Rob Nelson
Chris Paine's documentary about General Motors' development and withdrawal of the innovative, environment-friendly EV1 automobile is bound to reverberate with anyone who's fallen in love with a product only to see it irrevocably yanked from the market. Mar 21, 2008 | Full Review…
Chris Paine's documentary about General Motors' development and withdrawal of the innovative, environment-friendly EV1 automobile is bound to reverberate with anyone who's fallen in love with a product only to see it irrevocably yanked from the market.
Jonathan Rosenbaum
This fascinating feature-length documentary tells the shameful story of how fast, economical electric cars became a hit in California in the 1990s, then vanished almost overnight. May 24, 2007 | Full Review…
This fascinating feature-length documentary tells the shameful story of how fast, economical electric cars became a hit in California in the 1990s, then vanished almost overnight.
Brad Newsome
It's liable to get people hopping mad, whether or not they buy Paine's overarching conspiracy theory. Oct 7, 2006
It's liable to get people hopping mad, whether or not they buy Paine's overarching conspiracy theory.
Andrew O'Hehir
... an entertaining but sometimes disingenuous documentary ... Aug 13, 2006 | Rating: 3/5
... an entertaining but sometimes disingenuous documentary ...
Roger Moore
An entertaining if slightly skewed documentary about the short life and early death of General Motors' EV1. Aug 10, 2006 | Rating: 4/5
An entertaining if slightly skewed documentary about the short life and early death of General Motors' EV1.
Bill Muller
The film shows how politicians on both sides of the isle conspired with oil companies and car manufacturers to rob our ecology of one of its most promising assets. Apr 23, 2009 | Rating: A- | Full Review…
The film shows how politicians on both sides of the isle conspired with oil companies and car manufacturers to rob our ecology of one of its most promising assets.
Cole Smithey
Transcends its own awful construction by being a documentary, further supporting the idea that docs needn't be well made to be worthwhile. Sep 17, 2007 | Rating: 2.5/5 | Full Review…
Transcends its own awful construction by being a documentary, further supporting the idea that docs needn't be well made to be worthwhile.
Christopher Campbell
Given the shortsighted shenanigans engaged in by these corporate-oriented politicians and greedy captains of industry, is it any wonder that we'd end up mired in the Middle East to ensure the flow of oil? Who killed the electric car? The usual suspects. Jun 1, 2007 | Rating: 4/4 | Full Review…
Given the shortsighted shenanigans engaged in by these corporate-oriented politicians and greedy captains of industry, is it any wonder that we'd end up mired in the Middle East to ensure the flow of oil? Who killed the electric car? The usual suspects.
Kam Williams
It goes far beyond electric cars to illustrate how big business controls government actions and policies at all levels with damaging results. Mar 30, 2007 | Rating: B | Full Review…
It goes far beyond electric cars to illustrate how big business controls government actions and policies at all levels with damaging results.
Robert Roten
This rich and absorbing documentary also functions as mystery and exposé. Mar 1, 2007 | Full Review…
This rich and absorbing documentary also functions as mystery and exposé.
Doris Toumarkine
In the interest of understanding how your government and big business work (and work together against the consumer's interest), you owe it to yourself to see this film. Dec 30, 2006 | Full Review…
In the interest of understanding how your government and big business work (and work together against the consumer's interest), you owe it to yourself to see this film.
Jean Lowerison
Movies to Feel Guilty To, Volume Seven. It's strange, as a child I DO remember electric cars around, but I never gave much thought to what happened to them, if anything. I didn't realize they had actually been actively killed by various forces, lobbies and interests. Grrr. This is a very good, well-researched, engaging and informative documentary that makes you care about eco-infrastructure and want to get involved. I am very glad I saw this, and I ended up seeing it twice.
Super Reviewer
I thought it was pretty interesting and well put together.
Who Killed the Electric Car starts off interesting but after about the first 20 minutes just generally keeps retreading the same 3 or 4 points. Martin Sheen's narration doesn't quite fit either--it's like he had a mouthful of Werther's Originals in his mouth while he recorded it. This documentary is definitely informative when it doesn't dwell on annoying activists who love the sound of their own voices. The United States as a country is poisoned by the greed of the oil and automotive industry, we get it. It sucks but stalking a car you used to drive in a losing battle is just creepy and weird. The Phyllis Diller bit at the beginning was perplexing to me but Mel Gibson's attempt to look like Moses with the Sweetest Beard Ever (it looked like he had a big white tongue!) hypnotized me. But probably what surprised me the most was that none of the people in this documentary referred to the electric car as Jesus. I mean, they may as well have. This movie made me want to buy a Hummer at the end. It annoyed me that much...
A really great documentary showing how money controls everything and how America is filled with zombies that buy what big business tells us to buy.
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