The Central Park Five
Metascore
79 out of 100

Generally favorable reviews - based on 20 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 19 out of 20
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 20
  3. Negative: 0 out of 20
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  1. Christian Science Monitor
    Reviewed by: Peter Rainer
    Nov 30, 2012
    91
    What we do see, among much else that is damning, are archival NYPD videotapes of the boys being interrogated by detectives who press them to implicate one another in exchange for a leniency that never materialized.
  2. indieWIRE
    Reviewed by: Eric Kohn
    Nov 20, 2012
    91
    With an editing approach that seamlessly blends past and present, Central Park Five contains a fluid, engaging storytelling that does away with the dry voiceover commentary and theatrical music choices that typically account for the narrative flow of most Burns films.
  3. NPR
    Reviewed by: Mark Jenkins
    Nov 23, 2012
    90
    Its greatest advantage over the book is that this is a story well-documented in moving pictures. In addition to recent interviews with the five, the filmmakers deftly marshal news footage, clips from the supposed confessions, and trenchant analysis.
  4. Boston Globe
    Reviewed by: Wesley Morris
    Dec 13, 2012
    88
    If the second hour or so isn't as strong as the first, it's because the filmmaking fails to rise to the injustice that's befallen its subjects since their exoneration. It can't, really.
  5. Chicago Tribune
    Reviewed by: Michael Phillips
    Dec 6, 2012
    88
    An unusually good documentary about an outlandish miscarriage of justice.
  6. Chicago Sun-Times
    Reviewed by: Roger Ebert
    Dec 6, 2012
    88
    The case transfixed a racially polarized New York City. The teens were labeled as a "wolf pack" by the news media, led by the New York tabloids.
  7. Portland Oregonian
    Reviewed by: Marc Mohan
    Dec 13, 2012
    83
    If there's one thing missing, it's a sense of purposeful, immediate outrage. You can't help but wonder why this film wasn't made 20 years ago, when it could have saved these men some time behind bars.
  8. Entertainment Weekly
    Reviewed by: Lisa Schwarzbaum
    Nov 20, 2012
    83
    This patient, righteous documentary by Ken Burns, David McMahon, and Sarah Burns recounts the story of justice undone (a serial rapist confessed) with extensive interviews, a thorough use of archival footage, and a less-than felicitous use of ominous-rumble music that unnecessarily insists, Isn't this an outrage?

User Reviews

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User Score
8.2 out of 10

Universal acclaim- based on 10 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 4 out of 4
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 4
  3. Negative: 0 out of 4
  1. LamontRaymond
    9
    I was fortunate to screen this heartbreaking film with one of the directors and two of the CP 5 - three really excellent people. In lieu of writing a full review, I'd just like to urge everyone who reads this to say only one when when placed into custody - "lawyer." By doing so, it's not like pleading the 5th - no fact-finder or judge is going to presume you're guilty of anything. These kids were absolutely bullied, but we can't assume that our government is run by angels, as Alexis de Tocqueville suggested - we have to protect ourselves. So if you feel you've been wrongly detained - don't say more than that single word - lawyer - until you've had a chance to discuss your situation with your legal representative, whether he or she is someone you or your family finds, or the court appoints to you. This is NOT the same as not cooperating with a police investigation when you're not in custody. But when YOUR freedom is at stake, don't hang yourself with your own words. The admissions by these boys - which were coerced - overwhelmed the jury and directly led to their jail sentences. I'm so sorry it happened that way. Again, when you're Mirandized, listen to the words, close your mouth, and ask for a lawyer.… Full Review »
  2. cinemaquote
    6
    i am a documental buff. i read a couple reviews of this great investigative piece. it remained so: a sum-up of chronological facts that make up a very powerful story. but the docu lacks broll, images, archive stock... so many images of the iconic 80s are part of the story of these 5 kids and couldve definitely added force and rhythm to this very interesting investigation but... alas, the filmmakers stick to the story as if in a sociology class. great film, anyway.… Full Review »
  3. MarcDoyle
    8
    It's an excellent movie in a long line of wrongful-incarceration films. I was pretty floored by the composure of these young guys in the face of the corruption they faced. The prosecutors - who have built careers on these cases - should truly be ashamed of themselves for not pursuing some very obvious exculpatory evidence and for not questioning the "bad facts" that they were confronted with. Hopefully the city and state of NY will be writing some fairly sizable checks to these men in the coming years once the civil case is wrapped up. There has to be a punitive element to such bad behavior.… Full Review »
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