This is an important film. What you will learn is disconcerting but the manner in which you'll learn it is enjoyable.
It is well organized, revealing "clues," in the form of convincing evidence, as this whodunit unrolls into a persuasive case against corporate money in politics, the power of the oil industry over both the auto industry and government, and the power of all three to subvert the will of consumers and the well-being of the citizenry.
Some documentaries are dry, and while they may present strong cases, they offer little in the way of keeping the audience engaged. Some documentaries, on the other hand, are little more than empty entertainment in the guise of serious exploration. Some are so polemical as to alienate the viewers they're trying to persuade. 'Who Killed the Electric Car' is entertaining, unfolding the way a great mystery does, while also maintaining journalistic integrity and evidentiary rigor.
I couldn't help but to compare it to, for example, many Michael Moore movies. Moore can be an excellent filmmaker in many ways but, while I agree with him on the issues, he too often ignores empirical evidence and cogent argument, even though there is much of both to buttress his conclusions. Instead, Moore too often appeals only to the viewer's emotions, lessening his credibility. Chris Paine, the writer and director of 'Who Killed the Electric Car,' doesn't exchange logos and ethos for pure pathos. Rather, he combines all of the essential elements of documentary filmmaking and offers us a product that is simultaneously engaging, convincing, and credible.
7/10.
It is well organized, revealing "clues," in the form of convincing evidence, as this whodunit unrolls into a persuasive case against corporate money in politics, the power of the oil industry over both the auto industry and government, and the power of all three to subvert the will of consumers and the well-being of the citizenry.
Some documentaries are dry, and while they may present strong cases, they offer little in the way of keeping the audience engaged. Some documentaries, on the other hand, are little more than empty entertainment in the guise of serious exploration. Some are so polemical as to alienate the viewers they're trying to persuade. 'Who Killed the Electric Car' is entertaining, unfolding the way a great mystery does, while also maintaining journalistic integrity and evidentiary rigor.
I couldn't help but to compare it to, for example, many Michael Moore movies. Moore can be an excellent filmmaker in many ways but, while I agree with him on the issues, he too often ignores empirical evidence and cogent argument, even though there is much of both to buttress his conclusions. Instead, Moore too often appeals only to the viewer's emotions, lessening his credibility. Chris Paine, the writer and director of 'Who Killed the Electric Car,' doesn't exchange logos and ethos for pure pathos. Rather, he combines all of the essential elements of documentary filmmaking and offers us a product that is simultaneously engaging, convincing, and credible.
7/10.