79
Metascore
18 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 91Entertainment WeeklyJoe McGovernEntertainment WeeklyJoe McGovernThe powerful thrust of the film comes from its critique of the media.
- 88New York PostFarran Smith NehmeNew York PostFarran Smith NehmeSolomon and Genovese remind us that all witnesses can be unreliable, in one way or another. The emotional impact comes from the gentle way the film reveals Kitty Genovese as a loving, vibrant person, and not as a symbol.
- 80The Hollywood ReporterFrank ScheckThe Hollywood ReporterFrank ScheckFew films feel as cathartic as James Solomon's documentary The Witness.
- 80VarietyNick SchagerVarietyNick SchagerThe Witness functions as a project of not only confrontation but resurrection, as Bill’s sleuthing sheds new light on Kitty’s personality, romances and career, and thus finally re-emphasizes her as a flesh-and-blood person rather than just a famous victim.
- 80The New York TimesAndy WebsterThe New York TimesAndy WebsterA re-creation of the night, with an actress playing the screaming victim while Mr. Genovese observes, is harrowing.
- 80Wall Street JournalJoe MorgensternWall Street JournalJoe MorgensternThe Witness is remarkable for its emotional impact, and its clarity. The picture that emerges isn’t perfectly clear; the whole truth will never be known, Bill Genovese says. What he has made known, though, is valuable.
- 70Village VoiceAlan ScherstuhlVillage VoiceAlan ScherstuhlAs James D. Solomon's compelling and sometimes frustrating doc The Witness makes clear, what the case actually tells us isn't that we live lives of pitilessness or blinkered fear. It's that we're gullible as hell.
- 63Slant MagazineClayton DillardSlant MagazineClayton DillardThe film presents Kitty Genovese's identity as an afterthought, turning her living days and nights into incidental details.
- 50The Film StageDaniel SchindelThe Film StageDaniel SchindelRather than intelligently grapple with the complexities, the filmmakers let various people have their say and then call the whole thing done.