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Dark Days

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Dark Days reviews
73
10.0 User Score:

Generally favorable reviews

Based on 21 critic reviews
How did we calculate this?

Based on 4 votes
Read user comments
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Movie Info

Genre(s): Documentary

Written by:

Directed by: Marc Singer

Release Date:
Theatrical: August 30, 2000
DVD: September 25, 2001

Running Time: 94 minutes, B/W

Origin: USA

Summary

RATING: Not rated

Starring Marc Singer

A look into the lives of the community of people living for decades beneath New York City in abandoned railway tunnels.

What The Critics Said

All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...

100

Baltimore Sun Chris Kaltenbach

Black and white has never looked more stark.

88

Chicago Sun-Times Roger Ebert

Portrait of men and a few women who stubbornly try to maintain some dignity in the face of personal disaster.

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88

New York Daily News Jack Mathews

Remarkable first film.

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80

The New York Times Stephen Holden

Dark Days illustrates even the worst nightmare can have descending levels of horror.

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80

Los Angeles Times Kenneth Turan

It's remarkable for where it takes us, how it takes us there.

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80

TNT RoughCut Andy Klein

Compellingly watchable.

80

LA Weekly Ella Taylor

Designed neither to warm your heart nor shelter you in the comfort of liberal guilt, the movie does what so many style-conscious, "subjective" documentaries have long forgotten how to do. It shows you a world, and stays the hell out of it.

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78

Austin Chronicle Marc Savlov

Compelling, relentless cinema.

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75

New York Post Jonathan Foreman

Fascinating, beautifully photographed portrait of a vanished community.

75

Seattle Post-Intelligencer William Arnold

It's hard to imagine an upbeat movie about homelessness, but Dark Days is just that.

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75

Philadelphia Inquirer Steven Rea

Isn't as strong a film as it could have been: Only teasing slices of these people's lives are offered.

75

Portland Oregonian Shawn Levy

Packs the power to make you see at least a few corners of the world in a new and bracing light.

75

Boston Globe Jay Carr

Engrossing and eye-opening in several respects and even, when you least expect it, humorous.

70

Chicago Reader Jonathan Rosenbaum

An eye-opening tale of how part of our population lives, and as an authentic image of material suffering it makes something like Lars von Trier's "Dancer in the Dark" seem even more dubious.

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70

TV Guide Ken Fox

Remarkable film.

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70

Village Voice Amy Taubin

Singer achieves remarkable intimacy with his subjects.

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63

Chicago Tribune John Petrakis

There is something inherently dishonest about Dark Days.

60

Variety Dennis Harvey

Intimate and engrossing.

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60

Mr. Showbiz Michael Atkinson

Arresting, visually accomplished documentary.

58

Entertainment Weekly Owen Gleiberman

More noteworthy for its intentions than its execution.

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50

Film.com David D'Arcy

Given the enormous praise, the film falls short.

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What Our Users Said

The average user rating for this movie is 10.0 (out of 10) based on 4 User Votes

Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

Alex K. gave it a 10:
An amazing movie. The incredible and artistic cinematography aside, Dark Days accomplishes something so fundamental that most new documentaries seem to have forgotten: A story. We follow the lives of characters who we get to know and understand, and the movie follows a linear storyline that actually makes us interested in what's happening next, instead of the usual "seen five minutes seen it all" syndrome. Even accomplished filmmakers (ie, the Hughes Brothers and their neatly structured "American Pimp") cannot create the disturbing magic that Singer did.

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