68
Metascore
9 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 100San Francisco ChronicleSan Francisco ChronicleThe unnerving brilliance of the film owes to the director's skill at assembling information and allowing it to speak for itself.
- 90Chicago ReaderChicago ReaderA masterful documentary, one of the most unsettling discussions of Vietnam and its aftermath ever to appear in any medium.
- A powerful piece of documentary filmmaking.
- 80Village VoiceMichael AtkinsonVillage VoiceMichael AtkinsonBuilt to outrage, appall, and indict.
- 80Washington PostDesson ThomsonWashington PostDesson ThomsonDavis, who won an Oscar for Best Documentary, may not have agreed with presidents Kennedy, Johnson and Nixon on the war, but he heeded Johnson's call to fight for hearts and minds. His aim was dead on target.
- 75Chicago Sun-TimesRoger EbertChicago Sun-TimesRoger EbertThe problem is that the film is at such pains to make its points that it doesn't trust us to find our own connections.
- 60The A.V. ClubNathan RabinThe A.V. ClubNathan RabinDuring his clumsiest moments, Davis' fondness for provocation rises to the surface, which is unfortunate, since it weakens the impact of his many salient points about how American men are socialized to be warriors.
- 50The New YorkerAnthony LaneThe New YorkerAnthony LaneHearts and Minds, which gives no clue that atrocities were committed by the other side, and which allows Davis to cut from a rampaging football game, back home, to the Tet offensive, will be a lesson to anybody who thinks that Michael Moore invented the notion of documentary as blunderbuss.
- 50Austin ChronicleMarjorie BaumgartenAustin ChronicleMarjorie BaumgartenAlthough the movie's anti-war propaganda mission is clear, it nevertheless makes a strong case for asking questions and examining our country's imperialistic motives.