72
Metascore
17 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 91Entertainment WeeklyLeah GreenblattEntertainment WeeklyLeah GreenblattKimberly Reed’s taut documentary is also damning, clear-eyed, and as gripping as any John Grisham thriller.
- 83The Film StageDan MeccaThe Film StageDan MeccaFast and furious in its information and interviews, this documentary is engaging from minute one, rarely letting the viewer off the hook.
- 80VarietyDennis HarveyVarietyDennis HarveyIn contrast to the very personal “Prodigal Sons,” Reed’s sophomore feature is straightforward reportage, telling a complex, multi-issue story with a large number of players, in admirably cogent terms.
- 75Film Journal InternationalChris BarsantiFilm Journal InternationalChris BarsantiThe story of the 2010 Citizens United Supreme Court decision, which opened the spigots of campaign cash, has been told before. But Reed weaves it into a larger narrative in which it is simply one of the steps in the unraveling of modern campaign-finance laws.
- 75Philadelphia Daily NewsGary ThompsonPhiladelphia Daily NewsGary Thompson[An] informative documentary.
- 70The Hollywood ReporterTodd McCarthyThe Hollywood ReporterTodd McCarthyA densely packed documentary that earnestly and obsessively addresses campaign finance reform, its history and vital importance.
- 63Slant MagazineKeith WatsonSlant MagazineKeith WatsonKimberly Reed's approach is too bloodless to make us feel the full weight of the injustices her film identifies.
- 63RogerEbert.comGlenn KennyRogerEbert.comGlenn KennyThis is an informative film that deals up its facts in a sober, linear fashion. This is salutary in that it avoids sensationalism that might lead to accusations of conspiracy-theory mongering. But it also has the effect of making the film feel a little dry.
- 63Washington PostMichael O'SullivanWashington PostMichael O'SullivanAs Ravel puts it, the disproportionate influence of money on elections isn’t a Democratic or Republican problem, but a “gateway issue to every other issue you might care about.” Dark Money makes the case, as well as any film can, that she’s pretty much right on the money.
- 60The New York TimesManohla DargisThe New York TimesManohla DargisMs. Reed has taken on a vital story in Dark Money, which is why it’s frustrating that her storytelling isn’t better. Some introductory text or explanatory narration would have better helped historically ground viewers, who need to juggle a lot of information.