Going Upriver - The Long War of John Kerry (2004)

Critic Reviews

• Andrew Sarris, New York Observer

  This should be revelatory to most people -- but most people will probably never see Mr. Butler's film, and certainly none of those who consider George W. Bush as next to God.

• Richard Roeper, Ebert & Roeper

  One of the most moving things for me was seeing that some of the high-ranking politicians really did recognize that, hey, we need to meet with these young men and hear what they have to say and that footage is amazing stuff.

• Eleanor Ringel Gillespie, Atlanta Journal-Constitution

  Butler is on record as a close friend of Kerry's, but he's also a well-respected documentarian, who introduced Arnold Schwarzenegger to America in Pumping Iron and chronicled the heroism of Ernest Shackleton in The Endurance.

• Jeff Strickler, Minneapolis Star Tribune

  Filmgoers in the mood for one more go-round will be fascinated by this documentary by George Butler.

• Frank Scheck, Hollywood Reporter

  A highly effective campaign biography.

• Jane Sumner, Dallas Morning News

  A partisan film but ultimately a powerful one.

• Philip Martin, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette

  ...even Kerry fans might be made wistful... Where has that young man gone? Whatever happened to him?

• Nick Davis, Nick's Flick Picks

  Going Upriver is lucky enough to have at its disposal a genuinely charismatic figure whose sense of his own citizenship is rigorous, questioning, and articulate.

• Eric D. Snider, EricDSnider.com

  It's only OK as a movie, but it's a fantastic political ad.

• Matt Kelemen, Las Vegas CityLife

  Butler's film may do little to change the outcome of the election, but anyone who questions Kerry's convictions should see Going Upriver before casting their vote.

• Anthony Del Valle, Las Vegas Mercury

  There's an innocence, a purity in intention ... that one rarely sees in a documentary.

• Michael W. Phillips, Jr., Goatdog's Movies

  It's not angry or loud; it hopes that the truth spoken at a moderate level is stronger than lies trumpeted on national television.

• Frank Swietek, One Guy's Opinion

  A serious, often very moving portrait of the effect the Vietnam War had on the nation and particularly those who served in it.

• Thomas Delapa, Boulder Weekly

  Butler's style is lot like Kerry's: analytic, deliberate, a bit plodding, but always with his eyes on the prize.

• Jules Brenner, Cinema Signals

  We can only wish all candidates for such high office could match or even come close to the standards of qualification set by Kerry.

• John A. Nesbit, ToxicUniverse.com

  serves effectively as direct and rational political ad that counters the shameless muckraking of John O'Neill's 'Swift Boat Veterans for Truth'

• Daniel M. Kimmel, Worcester Telegram & Gazette

  [I]t will leave you with questions you'll be asking long after the November election.

Read all 17 critic reviews