Escape Fire: The Fight to Rescue American Healthcare 2012

Jeannette Catsoulis, New York Times: Arranged in a handful of clear, concise chapters, "Escape Fire: The Fight to Rescue American Healthcare" turns an unwieldy, Medusa-headed topic into a convincingly humane argument for change. Read more

Wesley Morris, Boston Globe: This is the movie equivalent of watching someone walk on hot coals, but for 98 minutes. Read more

Frank Scheck, Hollywood Reporter: There's no escaping the fact that the sheer profusion of similarly-themed efforts in recent years reduces their individual impact. Read more

Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times: Cogent, convincing, determinedly non-ideological, "Escape Fire: The Fight to Rescue American Healthcare" tells us that everything we think we know about that incendiary topic might be wrong. And it offers us a way out of the morass. Read more

Elizabeth Weitzman, New York Daily News: There are neither enough personal histories nor enough proposed solutions to spark any significant debate. Read more

Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times: The first hospital visit for many sick Americans is to an emergency room, the most expensive and hurried care available. Read more

Walter V. Addiego, San Francisco Chronicle: The film is surprisingly optimistic, arguing that there are genuine, practical answers to many of the problems afflicting the system, and some are already being adopted. Read more

Colin Covert, Minneapolis Star Tribune: This swiftly paced documentary assembles expert talking heads and real-world patients and practitioners to discuss defusing the ticking time bomb of American health care costs. Read more

Robert Koehler, Variety: Like a doctor's carefully structured analysis of a patient's condition, the film breaks down its massive subject into manageable, clear, but not simplified parts. Read more

Nick Schager, Village Voice: Escape Fire winds up feeling like only one half of a larger argument. Read more

Ann Hornaday, Washington Post: Matthew Heineman and Susan Froemke's sobering, often infuriating documentary about medical care in 21st-century America. Read more