X

2011
Not Rated
First Run Features
1 h 44 m

2011
Not Rated
First Run Features
1 h 44 m

Summary A son's riveting look at a father whose life seemed straight out of a spy thriller, The Man Nobody Knew: In Search of My Father, CIA Spymaster William Colby uncovers the secret world of a legendary CIA spymaster. Told by William Colby’s son Carl, the story is at once a probing history of the CIA, a personal memoir of a family living in c...

Directed By: Carl Colby

2011
Not Rated
First Run Features
1 h 44 m

2011
Not Rated
First Run Features
1 h 44 m

The Man Nobody Knew: In Search of My Father, CIA Spymaster William Colby

Metascore Generally Favorable Based on 11 Critic Reviews

71

User Score Available after 4 ratings

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Summary A son's riveting look at a father whose life seemed straight out of a spy thriller, The Man Nobody Knew: In Search of My Father, CIA Spymaster William Colby uncovers the secret world of a legendary CIA spymaster. Told by William Colby’s son Carl, the story is at once a probing history of the CIA, a personal memoir of a family living in c...

Directed By: Carl Colby

Top Cast

William Colby

Self

Dale Andrade

Self - Military Historian

Zbigniew Brzezinski

Self - Former National Security Advisor

Corrado Cantatore

Self - Former Division Chief, SISMI (Italian Intelligence)

Jonathan Clarke

Self - Senior Officer, British Intelligence

Barbara Colby

Self - Wife of William Colby

Daren J. Flitcroft

Self - Veteran, Phoenix Program, CIA

Donald P. Gregg

Self - Veteran, Phoenix Program, CIA

Seymour Hersh

Self - Journalist

Fisher Howe

Self - Veteran, London, OSS

Thomas Hughes

Self - Former Director, Intelligence and Research, State Department

Oleg Kalugin

Self - Former Head, U.S. Operations, KGB

Bob Kerrey

Self - Navy SEAL, Medal of Honor, Veteran, Phoenix Program

John Langan

Self - Counselor

James Lilley

Self - Veteran Officer, CIA

Edward N. Luttwak

Self - Author, Military Strategist

Thomas F. McCoy

Self - Veteran Officer, Rome, Madrid, CIA

Robert McFarlane

Self - Former National Security Advisor

Elizabeth McIntosh

Self - Veteran, Office of Strategic Services (OSS)

H.R. McMaster

Self - Counterinsurgency Advisor to General David Petraeus

View All Cast & Crew

Critic Reviews

Metascore

Generally Favorable Based on 11 Critic Reviews

91% Positive
10 Reviews

9% Mixed
1 Review

0% Negative
0 Reviews

All Reviews
Positive Reviews
Mixed Reviews
Negative Reviews

Critic Reviews

Metascore

Generally Favorable Based on 11 Critic Reviews

91% Positive
10 Reviews

9% Mixed
1 Review

0% Negative
0 Reviews

All Reviews
Positive Reviews
Mixed Reviews
Negative Reviews

Philadelphia Inquirer

Jan 19, 2012

At once a deeply personal film and an important historical document, The Man Nobody Knew leaves us with an incomplete portrait of a man. Did Colby have a moral core? Did he know what was truth, and what was a lie? Did he sanction assassination plots? Did he love his family? Was he even capable of love?

By Steven Rea FULL REVIEW

The New York Times

Sep 22, 2011

Carl Colby's smart, fact-packed film The Man Nobody Knew operates on many levels, all riveting.

Sep 20, 2011

Respectful, loving, but never lionizing, Carl's thorough investigation transcends his personal catharsis to become an enduring treatise on how character flaws affect policy.

Sep 23, 2011

At the same time that director Carl Colby probes into the true character of his mysterious father through an arsenal of interviews with those that knew him, he gives equal weight to the dark chapters of America's history that his father's life traversed.

Sep 22, 2011

Oddly, the director's personal connection with his subject adds little warmth, filmmaker Carl proving nearly as unemotional as his deadpan dad.

By Ronnie Scheib FULL REVIEW

Sep 21, 2011

The Man Nobody Knew is far better with matters of the public record than with matters of the home, which may sum up its subject better than any talking-head interview.

San Francisco Chronicle

Dec 1, 2011

Even his wife barely knew him, recalling for her son the peculiarities of raising a family amid Daddy's cloak and dagger - and if she's baffled by his behavior, what hope is there for anyone else?

By Amy Biancolli FULL REVIEW

See All 11 Critic Reviews

User Reviews

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Details

Production Company Act 4 Entertainment

Release Date Sep 23, 2011

Duration 1 h 44 m

Rating Not Rated

Genres

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