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  • 2017
  • Kino Lorber
  • 1 h 32 m
  • 2017
  • Kino Lorber
  • 1 h 32 m

Summary At a powderkeg moment in American policing, The Force goes deep inside the embattled Oakland Police Department as it struggles to reform itself amid growing local controversy. Winner of the Documentary Directing Award at the 2017 Sundance Film Festival, filmmaker Peter Nicks embedded with the department over the course of two years to f...

Directed By: Peter Nicks

Written By: Linda Davis, Lawrence Lerew, Peter Nicks

  • 2017
  • Kino Lorber
  • 1 h 32 m
  • 2017
  • Kino Lorber
  • 1 h 32 m
The Force
Metascore Generally favorable Based on 10 Critic Reviews
80
User Score Mixed or average Based on 5 User Ratings
4.2
My Score
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Summary At a powderkeg moment in American policing, The Force goes deep inside the embattled Oakland Police Department as it struggles to reform itself amid growing local controversy. Winner of the Documentary Directing Award at the 2017 Sundance Film Festival, filmmaker Peter Nicks embedded with the department over the course of two years to f...

Directed By: Peter Nicks

Written By: Linda Davis, Lawrence Lerew, Peter Nicks

Where to Watch

Top Cast

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Critic Reviews

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Metascore
Generally favorable Based on 10 Critic Reviews
80
90% Positive
9 Reviews
10% Mixed
1 Review
0% Negative
0 Reviews

  • All Reviews
  • Positive Reviews
  • Mixed Reviews
  • Negative Reviews

Critic Reviews

 View All
Metascore
Generally favorable Based on 10 Critic Reviews
80
90% Positive
9 Reviews
10% Mixed
1 Review
0% Negative
0 Reviews

  • All Reviews
  • Positive Reviews
  • Mixed Reviews
  • Negative Reviews
100
Sep 22, 2017
The fly-on-the-wall style is a slow build that leads to an immersive experience, and then an ultimate payoff as the change-minded department detours into another scandal. The Force is like watching a drug addict take a few meaningful steps toward recovery, only to relapse again.
By Peter Hartlaub FULL REVIEW
90
Aug 2, 2017
In the gripping, inspiring — and, ultimately, dispiriting — documentary The Force, a troubled police force tries to redeem itself, only to learn how nearly impossible the task may be.
By Tim Grierson FULL REVIEW
88
Sep 23, 2017
This is a strong film that tackles a charged subject in a fair and even-handed manner. The Force will give viewers of all social and political persuasions much to think about afterwards.
By Peter Sobczynski FULL REVIEW
80
Sep 22, 2017
The result, unusual in a documentary involving the police and the public, is a film that does not advocate for anything but the truth, one that aims to show what happens on both sides of an issue rather than coming down in favor of one or the other.
By Kenneth Turan FULL REVIEW
80
Sep 21, 2017
The movie may offer an incriminatory catalog of organizational failure, but it also repeatedly shows people trying to make the system work.
By Manohla Dargis FULL REVIEW
67
Sep 19, 2017
To his credit, director Peter Nicks (The Waiting Room) accepts the dispiriting trajectory that this initially hopeful film ultimately takes—there’s no dissembling here. Trouble is, most of the ugly stuff happens off-camera, necessitating a secondhand second half that amounts to an embarrassed “Oops.”
By Mike D'Angelo FULL REVIEW
50
Sep 18, 2017
Though initially compelling, Peter Nick's documentary is fundamentally without a clear perspective on its subject.
By Keith Watson FULL REVIEW

User Reviews

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Details

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Release Date Sep 22, 2017
Duration 1 h 32 m
Genres
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Awards

Sundance Film Festival
• 1 Win & 2 Nominations
San Francisco International Film Festival
• 1 Win & 2 Nominations
Sarasota Film Festival
• 1 Nomination

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