Advanced Search >
Help Me Search

Movies

Weekend Box Office
Film Awards & Top 10s By Year
All-Time High Scores
All-Time Low Scores
Best / Worst of the Decade

Wide Releases
Now In Theaters

sort by namesort by score

Stars indicate the most critically-acclaimed movies.

Limited Releases
Now In Theaters

sort by namesort by score

Stars indicate the most critically-acclaimed movies.

War Photographer

EMAILPRINTFirst Run / Icarus Films

War Photographer reviews
79
6.6 User Score:

Generally favorable reviews

Based on 12 critic reviews
How did we calculate this?

Based on 3 votes
Read user comments
Rate this movie >

Movie Info

Genre(s): Documentary

Written by:

Directed by: Christian Frei

Release Date:
Theatrical: June 19, 2002
DVD: November 18, 2003

Running Time: 96 minutes, Color

Origin: Switzerland

Summary

RATING: Not Rated

Starring James Nachtwey

A film about the American photographer James Nachtwey -- his motivation, his fears and his daily routine as a war photographer.

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

San Francisco Chronicle Edward Guthmann

Extraordinary.

Read Full Review >
100

Christian Science Monitor David Sterritt

Indelible images and brilliant use of unconventional music make this a nonfiction film that must be seen – and heard – to be believed.

Read Full Review >
90

The New York Times Dana Stevens

Documenting war is a small, partial but indispensable step toward its eventual eradication. Mr. Frei's quiet, engrossing film is a sad and stirring testimony to this vision and to the quiet, self-effacing heroism with which Mr. Nachtwey has pursued it.

Read Full Review >
90

New York Magazine Peter Rainer

What's remarkable is how often the photographer's subjects allow themselves to be caught on film; it's as if they understood implicitly that Nachtwey was there not only to agitate for reform but to memorialize their agony. He does both.

Read Full Review >
89

Austin Chronicle Marc Savlov

The images this war photographer shoots are beyond awful, but there's just no looking away.

Read Full Review >
80

TV Guide Ken Fox

Frei assembles a fascinating profile of a deeply humanistic artist who, in spite of all that he's witnessed, remains surprisingly idealistic, and retains an extraordinary faith in the ability of images to communicate the truth of the world around him.

Read Full Review >
75

Chicago Tribune Michael Wilmington

Finally, the film answers a question that obviously haunts Nachtwey: Is it immoral, callous or irresponsible to win fame and recognition from images of the terror, death and suffering of others?

Read Full Review >
75

New York Daily News Jami Bernard

Nachtwey's pictures tell a tale of grief and suffering, and Frei's you-are-there approach gives those photos startling immediacy.

Read Full Review >
75

New York Post Lou Lumenick

A misleadingly bland title for a gripping documentary.

Read Full Review >
70

Village Voice Jessica Winter

The photographer's show-don't-tell stance is admirable, but it can make him a problematic documentary subject. War Photographer infers the psychological and physical toll of his peripatetic existence, but provides scant insight into his technique.

Read Full Review >
60

Film Threat Phil Hall

While the images presented here are peerless, James Nachtwey is a fascinating individual and it is a shame we cannot learn more about the man behind these extraordinary images.

Read Full Review >
50

The Onion (A.V. Club) Noel Murray

The scenes of death, starvation, and destruction are affecting, but they don't say much about the actual subject of the film.

Read Full Review >

What Our Users Said

The average user rating for this movie is 6.6 (out of 10) based on 3 User Votes

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

Andrew T. gave it a10:
Best i ever seen.

Popular on CBS sites: College Signing Day | Olympics | Lost | iPhone | Cell Phones | Video Game Reviews | Free Music

About CBS Interactive | Jobs | Advertise

© 2010 CBS Interactive Inc. All rights reserved. | Privacy Policy (UPDATED) | Terms of Use