Citizenfour 2014

Bill Stamets, Chicago Sun-Times: This thoughtful film is designed with taste. Read more

Wesley Morris, Grantland: It's hard to overstate the film's achievement. Read more

John Anderson, Wall Street Journal: There are not a lot of moments in documentary cinema that equal "Citizenfour." Read more

Richard Corliss, TIME Magazine: Poitras' movie works even better as a horror picture -- perfect for Halloween week. Read more

Ronnie Scheib, Variety: Adapting the cold language of data encryption to recount a dramatic saga of abuse of power and justified paranoia, Poitras brilliantly demonstrates that information is a weapon that cuts both ways. Read more

Ben Kenigsberg, AV Club: Citizenfour does an excellent job of balancing what we already know with behind-the-scenes discussions of how the information should be released. Read more

David Ehrlich, AV Club: The immediacy of Poitras' film is so remarkable that, at least for the immediate future, her craft is likely to be overshadowed by her access, her storytelling overshadowed by her opportunity. Read more

Bill Goodykoontz, Arizona Republic: Snowden has been called a traitor, but here he comes off as a decent man trying to do the right thing, if however awkwardly (or illegally). Read more

Ty Burr, Boston Globe: If you think Snowden is a traitor, you should probably see it. If you think he's a hero, you should probably see it. If you haven't made up your mind - well, you get the idea. Read more

J. R. Jones, Chicago Reader: This isn't just a documentary -- this is history. Read more

Michael Phillips, Chicago Tribune: The film works, whatever your ethical stance on Snowden, because it's more procedural than polemic. Read more

Peter Rainer, Christian Science Monitor: As we watch the T-shirted Snowden, sitting on his messy hotel bed with his little laptop, set the stage for what is to come, the vast disjunction between these mundane surroundings and his imminent, world-shattering revelations is almost comical. Read more

Joe McGovern, Entertainment Weekly: [A] twisting corkscrew of a documentary ... Read more

Todd McCarthy, Hollywood Reporter: No matter one's personal stance about what Snowden did, this revelatory work is fascinating and thought-provoking, if, at the same time, oddly lacking in tension ... Read more

Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times: Carping about as significant a film as "Citizenfour" feels beside the point. You can wish its faults didn't exist, but it does a real service in detailing what the scary consequences of those NSA actions could be. Read more

Rene Rodriguez, Miami Herald: Citizenfour argues that when we lose our personal privacy, we also lose our liberty, because fear overcomes our freedom of speech. Read more

Rafer Guzman, Newsday: A first-hand, up-close account of Snowden that allows us to meet and judge the man for ourselves. Read more

Andrew Lapin, NPR: [It serves as a] chance for Poitras to reorganize her Pulitzer Prize-winning story in her own medium and cinema verite style. It mostly works. Read more

Elizabeth Weitzman, New York Daily News: A fascinating film that's also a crucial social document. Read more

A.O. Scott, New York Times: It's a tense and frightening thriller that blends the brisk globe-trotting of the "Bourne" movies with the spooky, atmospheric effects of a Japanese horror film. Read more

David Hiltbrand, Philadelphia Inquirer: This is a complicated story, but it's efficiently laid out by Poitras in this smartly edited project. Read more

Peter Travers, Rolling Stone: Laura Poitras may be guilty of taking Snowden at face value, but she succeeds brilliantly in evoking a shadow villain intent on world domination. Big Brother is back, baby, and he's gone digital. Read more

Andrew O'Hehir, Salon.com: "Citizenfour" is an urgent, gripping real-life spy story that should be seen by every American, and quite likely by everybody else too. Read more

Thomas Lee, San Francisco Chronicle: Despite the film's virtues, we're no closer to understanding Snowden than we were a year ago when this saga began. Read more

Colin Covert, Minneapolis Star Tribune: This documentary offers plenty of fuel for a long, ongoing debate. Read more

Joe Williams, St. Louis Post-Dispatch: The message of the movie is as clear as Siberian ice: Whether you're a Tea Partier, an Occupier or just an ordinary Joe, you might be the next citizen who's stranded in limbo. Read more

Liam Lacey, Globe and Mail: The documentary of the year may also be its most hair-raising thriller. Read more

Linda Barnard, Toronto Star: So explosive, it's one of the most riveting films you'll see this year. Read more

Alonso Duralde, TheWrap: Citizenfour finds its strength in both the story and the telling: The information about government spying is chilling, of course, but the movie also gives us the opportunity to get to know the elusive Snowden. Read more

Dave Calhoun, Time Out: Citizenfour is at its most eye-opening and essential simply as a portrait of the then 29-year-old Snowden at a point of absolute no-return in his life. Read more

Liz Braun, Toronto Sun: Filmmaker Laura Poitras paints a frankly terrifying picture of the loss of liberty involved in the widespread government gathering of the communication done by ordinary Joes on a daily basis. Read more

Claudia Puig, USA Today: Citizenfour plays like a thriller as it chronicles a complex and vitally important chapter in our history. Read more

Alan Scherstuhl, Village Voice: Poitras shows us history as it happens, scenes of such intimate momentousness that the movie's a must-see piece of work even if, in its totality, it's underwhelming as argument or cinema. Read more

David Edelstein, New York Magazine/Vulture: You should see this movie if you're naive enough to think you have a right to privacy. But don't buy your ticket online or with a credit card. Read more

Ann Hornaday, Washington Post: Whether you think Edward Snowden is a hero or a traitor, you should see the riveting documentary "Citizenfour" ... Read more