Hell and Back Again
User Score
6.3 out of 10

Generally favorable reviews- based on 6 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 3 out of 6
  2. Mixed: 3 out of 6
  3. Negative: 0 out of 6

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  1. MorriBey
    Mar 1, 2012
    9
    Its good. It mixes the war with real life without either overcoming the other. Whilst it is a documentary it does not dictate the story to you but it flows from the screen providing you with the questions.
  2. TDailyRotation
    Feb 11, 2012
    9
    Another year, another war documentary. This time, filmmaker Danfung Dennis turns the eye of his camera on Nathan Harris, a Sergeant in the U.S. Army, who leads his 2nd platoon further into insurgent strongholds in hopes of turning the tide of war in Afghanistan. The opening of the film features a firefight between U.S. forces and insurgents in the area where Lance Corporal Charles Sharp is killed in action, bringing the violence home for many viewers.

    The film then announces, via title cards, that Sergeant Nathan Harris is severely wounded in combat, and he has returned home with a fractured pelvis and severely broken leg from a bullet that tore through his right side. This part of the film focuses on Harrisâ    … Expand

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
81 out of 100

Universal acclaim - based on 17 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 17 out of 17
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 17
  3. Negative: 0 out of 17
  1. Chicago Reader
    Reviewed by: Ben Sachs
    Feb 23, 2012
    80
    This structure persuasively depicts combat and recovery as two sides of the same struggle, and Dennis strengthens his argument by maintaining a constant perspective throughout: the camera is always within a few feet of the subject.
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  2. Chicago Sun-Times
    Reviewed by: Roger Ebert
    Feb 22, 2012
    88
    In its closing scenes, Hell and Back Again builds to an emotional and stylistic power that we didn't see coming.
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  3. Boston Globe
    Reviewed by: Wesley Morris
    Feb 13, 2012
    88
    Dennis's film attempts something few documentaries have: to inhabit the psyche of its subject.
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