Metacritic Film

Camden 28, The

MPAA RATING: Not Rated


Documentary
90 minutes | Color
USA
Released In Theaters July 27, 2007

In the early-morning hours of Sunday, August 22, 1971, FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover and Attorney General John Mitchell announced that FBI agents had arrested 20 antiwar activists in and near a draft board office in Camden, New Jersey. Five days later, Mitchell made public the indictment of these individuals and included eight others who were linked to the break-in. The major charges against the group were conspiracy to remove and destroy files from the draft board, FBI office, and the Army Intelligence office; destruction of government property and interfering with the Selective Service system. If convicted, some of the indicted faced up to 47 years in federal prison. The men and women arrested that summer of ’71 in Camden called themselves “America’s conscience.” The government called them the Camden 28. The surprise arrest and unorthodox trial of the Camden 28 is a story of friendship and betrayal played out against the backdrop of one of the most turbulent periods in recent American history. (ECC Media)

DIRECTED BY
Anthony Giacchino

Overall Metascore

This is a weighted, normalized average of all individual scores given by critics, on a scale of 0 (worst) to 100 (best).

73 / 100

Critic Reviews

100 The New York Times Matt Zoller Seitz
Scene for scene, The Camden 28 is a brilliant merger of political outrage and filmmaking chops, and the most suspenseful movie in theaters right now.
88 TV Guide
Unexpectedly poignant documentary.
83 The Onion (A.V. Club)
Though the filmmaking is pedestrian, The Camden 28's timeless truths come through with resounding power.
80 Salon.com
Not exactly blazing cinema, but intellectually riveting.
70 Village Voice Michelle Orange
Fond, stinging, and finally instructive, the film assembles a comprehensive look back at the actions, arrest, and prosecution of a group of political malcontents (most of them young Catholics and some of them priests) in the summer of 1971.
70 Chicago Reader
The video lapses into self-congratulation near the end, as many of the principals reunite for a 2002 retrospective, but for the most part this is a powerful tale of conscience, betrayal, and forgiveness.
70 Film Threat Matthew Sorrento
Director Anthony Giacchino realizes what an engaging tale he’s uncovered, and stays back to let the members tell their story.
40 New York Magazine
The Camden 28 is slapdash: more talking heads, reunion footage with the mother reading from her own testimony, newscasts of the day. But the editing supplies some urgency, and the subjects remain radiant yet down-to-earth--too good-humored to be beatific.

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