Active Measures (2018) Poster

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8/10
It's Good
bthwaithe2 September 2018
I happen to know all of what's in the movie because 1) I'm retired and retired farts like me have time to read. 2) I lived in Manhattan for 20 years & am well acquainted with who and what Donald Trump is. 3) I studied Russian in college in NYC in the 1990s and know the type of people who poured into Brooklyn thanks to glasnost & perestroika. When it comes to this topic, it's kind of right up my alley.

But most people don't know the real Donald Trump or have the time to do all the reading I've done . They've got jobs, young kids, car trouble, bills, a million things to deal with. So I recommend they watch this film. It's fast moving and it's an overview. It doesn't bog down in minute details, which means it's not boring. It quickly & easily explains money laundering (something the Trump Organization has pled guilty to in the past), so that's a relief because some people's eyes glaze over and think "I don't want to have to take a class in finance."

So you've got an overview of what's going on and most people need that in order to be informed voters. The reason I gave it 8 and not 10 stars is because the closed captioning is crappy. Sometimes the film sounds fuzzy, so I needed captions but they blended into the background too many times to be effective. I also didn't like the music interfering with the story. It's a bit loud & urgent sounding, and we can do without that. But in this film you will find out who the major players are and what has gone on for the last 30 or so years.

You don't have to listen to me - you can take Don Trump Jr's word for it. In 2008 he said, ""Russians make up a pretty disproportionate cross section of a lot of our assets. We see a lot of money pouring in from Russia." Or take the word of Erik Trump who said in 2014 "We don't rely on American banks. We have all the funding we need out of Russia ." Meanwhile their father says, "I have nothing to do with Russia." Reallly? He'd better talk to his sons, because they've been withholding vital info from him for years, lol.
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9/10
Frightening - but a must watch.
hatefullyemployed3 September 2018
This documentary traces out acts the Russians have taken over the years to undermine democracy and how much of it directly ties to Trump. It's well done, paced nicely. Worth the watch for sure.
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7/10
Western prospective on Putin's regime
sergeyvtorushin23 September 2018
Its an interesting perspective with some unfolded details, but I would not trust everything that is being discussed in this documentary.

I am Russian and I currently live in Russia and I do not like nor support Putin's regime, but the western world does similar things and engages in questionable activities as Russian intelligence does. The movie is quite biased in regards to the source since the people interviewed are very pro American and anti-Russian. Ex-senator McCance and this cabinet for instance. Terrorist attacks by the Russian government is not a secret to many so as CIA operations in 9.11 in order to seize control of gain influence in other regions. Politicians and politics, in general, is a plague and nobody is innocent.

Overall I would recommend this documentary for people who are interested in political activities around the globe but bare in mind that this is just one perspective of the whole picture. Solid 7 out of 10
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10/10
Great and important movie
llwilliams-949213 September 2018
I've known bits and pieces of the Russia / brexit / trump story, but never been able to connect all the dots. They took a very complicated story and told it in a clear and meaningful way. Well researched and th interviews were amazing. Everyone should watch!
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10/10
Must see movie
kgbeasley3 September 2018
All citizens of the US and the world need to see this documentary.
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10/10
It All Makes Sense Now
reason-348623 September 2018
Every American, every person who cares about democracy and truth needs to watch this. Well laid out, easy to follow, and absolutely sickening.
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10/10
Very well laid out
zerosdontcount-429432 September 2018
Some of the reviews here claiming this is propoganda are clearly politically motivated. This documentary is a great history lesson into how Russia has influenced the Ukraine, Georgia, UK, USA, and others. It goes through real evidence of Trump organizations money laundering schemes with Russian oligarchs over the past 30 years. People leaving bad reviews don't dispute the facts, they just leave bad reviews. Fascinating documentary.
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10/10
Thoroughly researched
nospin2343 September 2018
It's amazing how much information was able to be conveyed in under 2 hours. I have been following story closely since October of 2016 yet a viewer would be caught up by just watching this movie. I watched twice on Hulu and am anxiously awaiting opportunity to buy on Amazon.
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10/10
Excellent reporting
alexandragoroch3 September 2018
I found this documentary to be very very helpful in placing events in context and thus understanding how they are connected. For example, I remember reading about the bombing of the apartment building right before Putin became President. I was in college at the time and studying political theory and realpolitik and I remember thinking that it was only logical that Putin and the KGB were behind it. And then I forgot about it. Remembering this event and seeing it in the context of the Russian mob and the power vacuum after the fall of the Berlin Wall really helps to understand current events and to understand the course of events in the world over the last 40 years at least. Really fascinating and informative. A must see!
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7/10
Russians
enja-395903 September 2018
Shows we need to wake up to how Russia is involved in our country for decades. The Russians are working for the long run and have made Trump their puppet, irrefutable!
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10/10
Putin's goal is to Destroy America. So far he's succeeding.
johnctripp3 September 2018
This is not so much a documentary about Trump, as it is about Putin's sinister strategy to destroy Western Democracy, and to reclaim Russia's prior power and glory. Russia's economy and military are both dwarfed by the USA, and the European Union. Putin and the FSB (formerly KGB) are using the only tactic they've got: Active Measures. Watch and learn, then do something!
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Awesome movie
kathyadreyfus6 August 2018
Did a great job of compelling story telling. Made this complicated and confusing last two years all make sense.
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7/10
Full of good info for the uninformed
earthquakeproductions1 September 2018
Active Measures is a decent documentary filled with a lot of useful information for those who really haven't been keeping up with the deep dive into the facts associated with whole tRump Russia story. It is full of important info for people to know. Everyone in congress should be forced to watch it.

Stylistically, the interviews are filmed a little too simply, subject looking off camera, simple lighting, same medium shots, looking left, looking right, etc. nothing very unique or creative about the way it was filmed. Boring.

The editing style is also pretty straight forward. Not really creative (except when they add graphics) Way too much talking head, archive, talking head, archive, etc. back and forth. Almost always the same pacing.. regardless of what's going on story-wise.

The info graphics/animations were really good but used too sparingly. When in doubt next time... more graphics. People love graphics and information, and they were done very well

Now for the bad part... I found 90% of the music to be terrible. They really didn't use music to create any sense of drama. It seems really random, almost like they added a lot of it it after it was already edited. Sometimes, the music was so wrong it was distracting. The bottom line is that it's just not good music, or good use of music.

Don't get me wrong, I think people should watch this movie. I still think it deserves a 7 because of the info it contains. I just think it could've use another editing pass (that includes how you use music folks) and been more creative in its presentation

Watch it. Spread the information it contains. Put the pressure on your representatives to make the tRump administration pay for the crimes
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1/10
Hard to believe how many people are duped by this...
deathinmety15 December 2018
Just replace Putin with Hillary and KGB with CIA during the first 15 minutes. It will help put a lot of this in perspective. Then listen...really listen to the "facts" and how they actually play into the motive of the story here. There really isn't anything of substance here. Not a single link to Russia and Trump is proven in this. There is a listing of facts. These facts are stated in a particular order. That order prevents the director from having to actually prove anything. None of this is linked. Just listen. It is a bunch of disconnected facts with a slick narrative that anybody with half a brain can see right through. Insane.
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10/10
excellent documentary, based entirely on The Facts
janetgold-128043 September 2018
I just saw _Active Measures_ yesterday, and fresh from that viewing I can confirm that it is powerful *not* because it is 'propaganda' or 'fantasy' but because every bit of it is accurate. The facts of Trump's allegiance to Putin cannot be doubted, when we are shown archival materials, emails, film footage, photographs, and much more: even without the talking heads, the information is all there.

And one reason the talking heads are persuasive is that ** They Are Republicans and Democrats.** They are not all lefty Trump-haters; they are McCain as well as H. Clinton, CIA, FBI, Republican operatives as well as Democratic ones.

And if you still don't believe that Trump's agenda is driven by Putin, okay, don't believe the film, read C. Unger's _House of Trump, House of Putin._ He has even More facts, because there's a whole volume of proof.

And if you are still sceptical, consider the jury's decision in the Manafort trial, AND the willingness of so many former Trump associates to flip.

All of these -- that book and others, the continuing results of the Trump-associate trials -- support the information in the film, which is done with great clarity and visual power.

GO SEE IT.

If only the people who need to see it would go also.
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10/10
This Documentary Is More Than Just "Trump-Russia"
sonicgabe3 September 2018
'Active Measures' details Russia's rising use of cyber and information warfare. Most people will be shocked at the scope of what Russia has been doing over the last decade or so. I'm very up on what's been going on and was aware of maybe 80 or 85% of what is presented in 'Active Measures.' To see the things I didn't know laid out in a linear timeline with what I did know, seeing how it all goes together and gets us to what Russia is currently doing is frightening. Everyone need to watch this documentary as soon as possible.
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10/10
Check it out
peetupuppydog3 September 2018
A lot of ppl haven't seen the movie and think it's rubbish. It's not. It is fact based. Watch it, do some research, and form your own opinions.
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9/10
Excellent lesson in reality
matthew_giordano3 September 2018
This movie provides plenty of examples that the events occurring in the US right now are not some new, unprecedented thing. The Russians have executed the same tactics in multiple places around the world...dividing the populace, preying upon nationalistic fears, and a steady feed of propaganda. It's a fascinating documentary and a must watch to get an idea of what we are currently facing.
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10/10
Excellent film; negative reviews are helpful to further promote the need for this film
cferrigno-343712 September 2018
Excellent documentary sharing essential information with those who have not been following the undeniable assault on our democracy, and an excellent review for those of us who have been closely watching.

I am grateful to the negative reviews thus far posted, and to those sure to follow. They each serve as a bullhorn announcement to every believer in our Constitution and democracy that all citizens should view this invaluable film.
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10/10
Excellent big picture view with supporting details
roxanner-749873 September 2018
While the last two years have been exhausting from an information processing perspective, this film expands upon all we've seen. The backstories shared provide eye-opening context and help connect pieces of the story together. It is worth watching multiple times, studying the content and researching further.

The only concern I have is that those who need to hear these facts the most will dismiss it without giving it a chance or opening their minds to the reality exposed during the film.
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It's all there but the smoking gun.
JohnDeSando31 August 2018
Active Measures: "Soviet term for the actions of political warfare conducted by Russian security forces to influence the course of world events."

The documentary Active Measures packs more information and images than could ever be processed in one sitting. Its strength is therefore a mass of examples for the collaboration of Russia with a variety of interests to skewer the 2016 presidential election.

Such sources as Hillary Clinton, John Podesta, and John McCain make their case for the influences, and the images from the media and interviews are crisp and to the point. To find out that President Putin may be the wealthiest man in the world is just one of the small bits to titillate those of us who have witnessed pretty much everything this full doc discloses.

The assault of information is so relentless and the pace so machine gun like, it's becomes difficult to process it all. A slower and fuller presentation with half the material would have given a solidly informative and entertaining film.

By the way, although fulsome, the doc does not provide a smoking gun for anything like treason or impeachment. It does show in its detail the pervasive corruption in governments on both sides of the seas.
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7/10
Information in here but presentation isn't great
greg-040823 September 2018
I don't care to ding a fellow documentary-maker, this gets a seven star rating from me. The content is there (for example I was unaware of the Ukraine political background nor Trump's ties to the Russian Mafia) but the presentation is waring after a while, especially the constant music. Worth seeing who suspect there may be an explanation for Trump's attitude to Vladimir Putin.
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10/10
Great documentary
brounoh-net3 September 2018
Active Measures (2018) is a great documentary to understand Russian geopolitical actions in the modern world.

Russia is the 12th world economy, smaller than South Korea (11th). This documentary explains decades of aggressive geopolitical Russian actions meant to undermine the world order based on freedom.
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7/10
Makes Your Head Spin.
WarMovieCollector17 May 2021
In a good way, because it opens the eyes of the viewers to the sophisticated planning by Putin and his henchmen.
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4/10
Scare me, please
Rob-O-Cop5 January 2019
The ominous music and America's favorite boggieman feature strongly in this piece of 'entertainment', because that's what America wants in their 'documentaries'. A continuation of the thrillers and horrors that constitute their media diet. This is without going into the imagined politics of it all. Just take a step back and see what this film shows us about what America wants to see and hear. Russia is the necessary evil, America the great and good, underhanded corruption is rife (This is probably true but always has been on all levels and all sides) and we're scared, so very frightened, & entertained, but terrified,......... The Left verses Right arguments are a distraction, a way of confusing us so we don't have time to sit back and view the picture as a whole. What is actually going on here? We're being played on all sides, and this is just another entry into the war of distraction and confusion. Scare me, please.
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