73
Metascore
4 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 80Los Angeles TimesCarlos AguilarLos Angeles TimesCarlos AguilarOrdinary but sufficiently effective in its execution, the film’s most resonant segments are those where the upstanding son reflects on his torn family and a rotten system in which paroling alleged offenders even after so much time is seen as an affront to the toxic institutional loyalty to police.
- Director Tommy Oliver’s gritty documentary 40 Years A Prisoner not only recounts the violent events that led up to the raid, mixing eyewitness testimony with gripping news footage, but in heartwarming fashion, also presents the tireless pursuit by a son to free his parents.
- 75Washington PostAnn HornadayWashington PostAnn HornadaySo many of our problems remain, but 40 Years a Prisoner presents a valuable primer on what mistakes not to repeat.
- 70The Hollywood ReporterDaniel FienbergThe Hollywood ReporterDaniel FienbergStructurally, the documentary is a mess and I'm not convinced it quite lands on the story it wants to tell, but it's engaging and enraging nonetheless.