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The Devil's Miner
Metascore
81 out of 100

Universal acclaim - based on 12 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 12 out of 12
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 12
  3. Negative: 0 out of 12
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  1. TV Guide
    Reviewed by: Ken Fox
    100
    Basilio narrates his tale with such wit and wisdom that one comes away from the film wondering how much youthful potential is slowly being choked to death deep within the bowels of the earth.
  2. Entertainment Weekly
    Reviewed by: Lisa Schwarzbaum
    100
    This beautiful, terrible story is not easily forgotten.
  3. Los Angeles Times
    Reviewed by: Carina Chocano
    100
    15 minutes into it, you are spellbound, heartbroken and unaccountably cheered -- your faith and admiration in humanity restored.
  4. The A.V. Club
    Reviewed by: Tasha Robinson
    83
    So polished that it might pass for a scripted narrative feature, but that's not a bad thing. They found a remarkable spokesman in Bolivian teenager Basilio Vargas, and while his cogent, organized descriptions of his life, beliefs, history, and ambitions sometimes seem too calculated, at least they're calculated to communicate efficiently and appealingly.
  5. The Hollywood Reporter
    Reviewed by: Frank Scheck
    80
    While political and social context is kept to a minimum, the darkly poetic images they capture speak volumes about what the miners go through.
  6. Variety
    Reviewed by: Deborah Young
    80
    An unforgettable journey through hell under the earth, where Satan is worshipped as king. Straight-as-an-arrow filmmaking raises this docu above the crowd.
  7. Chicago Reader
    Reviewed by: Richard M. Porton
    80
    A powerful indictment of the horrendous treatment of children who toil in hellish Bolivian silver mines. The filmmakers are better at fashioning haunting images than offering hard-nosed analysis, yet they never sentimentalize their young protagonists' plight.
  8. New York Post
    Reviewed by: V.A. Musetto
    75
    Guaranteed to leave you outraged at the way children - and, for that matter, adults - are exploited by mining companies.
  9. Seattle Post-Intelligencer
    Reviewed by: Sean Axmaker
    75
    It's a simple film with a direct message, but the glimpses of the surrounding social culture that has adapted to the horrors give this Third World "How Green Was My Valley" its identity.
  10. L.A. Weekly
    Reviewed by: Ernest Hardy
    70
    It's the captured conversations about everyday lives and struggles that pin you to your seat.
  11. Village Voice
    Reviewed by: Michael Atkinson
    70
    Perhaps little more than an object lesson in the end, the movie's nevertheless a sobering day trip, more for its hints of a forgotten history of culture collision than its sensible but rote socioeconomic sympathies.
  12. The New York Times
    Reviewed by: Jeannette Catsoulis
    70
    A brave, sincere film that leaves you wishing that more light had been shed on the darkness.
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User Reviews

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User Score
9.5 out of 10

Universal acclaim- based on 4 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 3 out of 3
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 3
  3. Negative: 0 out of 3
  1. RichardB.
    10
    This 14 year old is amazing. Excellent and heartbreaking movie.
  2. KevinC.
    10
    One of the most riveting movies I've ever seen. The lives of these people were captured in a sensistive, yet mind-blowing way. The dialogue, the camera work the scenery are fantastic. If you see one movie the rest of the year make it this one . If it wasn;t true, you wouldn't believe it.… Full Review »
  3. JamesM.
    10
    I happened to see this film by accident in a late night slot on Britain's BBC channel - its stunning and tragic - I'd implore everyone out there to watch it.… Full Review »
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