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THE AMBASSADOR (AMBASSADOREN)Movie Reviews
Danish and English language documentary about the political corruption and exploitation that allow blood diamond smuggling in the Central African Republic. Cast:Mads Brugger, Eva Jakobsen, Colin Evans, Varney Sherman, Dalkia Gilbert, Albert, Bernard, PaulDirector:Mads BrüggerRelease Date:August 29, 2012DVD Release:October 16, 2012From:Drafthouse FilmsLength:1 hr. 37 min.
OCTOBER 16, 2012
The Ambassador (Ambassadoren), Good Reviews (Doc) Key Cities
The Ambassador (Ambassadoren) played in key cities to good reviews. • Ty Burr wrote in the Boston Globe, "...a sociopolitical prankumentary.... The results play like a Morgan Spurlock movie hijacked by Graham Greene, and they're never quite as funny as the director thinks." • And Chris Cabin wrote for Slant, "...a lopsided, if irrefutably involving, act of gonzo reportage..." More Reviews Below...
The Ambassador (Ambassadoren) Positive Reviews (21 Reviews, reviews below)
Roger Ebert, RogerEbert.com: VERY GOOD(cg) "Sailing through the first part of the film, I assumed it was a mockumentary, and the 'hidden cam' footage was a special effect. No."(See all of Roger Ebert's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 659 words, 10/05/12
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NEW YORK/LOS ANGELES/CHICAGO/TORONTO (10 Reviews)
A.O. Scott, New York Times: GOOD "...a satire of European cynicism and an exposé of African corruption, but a crucial element of social or ethical concern is missing... But much is genuinely appalling."(See all of A.O. Scott's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 385 words, 08/29/12
Elizabeth Weitzman, New York Daily News: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "Brugger has created a documentary so daring it's almost impossible to believe.... His outlandish story feels only half-told -- though still twice as fascinating as most."(See all of Elizabeth Weitzman's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 178 words, 08/31/12
Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times: GOOD "...a nervy documentary... the film asks, why aren't we doing more to stop it when it happens on a much larger scale? It's a very good question."(See all of Kenneth Turan's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 783 words, 08/31/12
Kyle Smith, New York Post: OUTSTANDING(cg) "The seriousness, depth and degree of difficulty here are extraordinary, and yet Brügger is primarily a comedian with an eye for the ridiculous."(See all of Kyle Smith's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 549 words, 08/31/12
Michael Phillips, Chicago Tribune: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "Your own response to the film, deft as it is, will likely depend on how much you can tolerate in the broad genre of fake-umentaries and personality-driven exposes."(See all of Michael Phillips's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 205 words, 10/05/12
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times: VERY GOOD(cg) "Sailing through the first part of the film, I assumed it was a mockumentary, and the 'hidden cam' footage was a special effect. No."(See all of Roger Ebert's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 659 words, 10/05/12
Karina Longworth, Village Voice/LA Weekly: VERY GOOD "Mads Brügger gives what has to be one of the riskiest and most committed performances of the year.... How long will he be able to pull this off?"(See all of Karina Longworth's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 912 words, 08/29/12
James Adams, Toronto Globe & Mail: VERY GOOD(cg) "...its very chutzpah and brazenness, its refusal to flinch in the face of the absurdities it sees and, on some occasions, creates, makes it supremely watchable."(See all of James Adams's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 589 words, 01/11/13
Andrew Parker, Toronto Now: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "It's hard to tell what's genuine and what's manufactured.... [but] the wit and chills in hidden-camera interviews carry lots of weight."(See all of Andrew Parker's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 121 words, 04/26/12
KEY CITIES (3 Reviews)
Ty Burr, Boston Globe: WEAK(cg) "...a sociopolitical prankumentary.... The results play like a Morgan Spurlock movie hijacked by Graham Greene, and they're never quite as funny as the director thinks."(See all of Ty Burr's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 571 words, 09/21/12
John Hartl, Seattle Times: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...generates some tension and a mild narrative drive... [but] the picture sometimes seems to have been assembled rather than creatively edited."(See all of John Hartl's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 195 words, 09/07/12
Shawn Levy, Portland Oregonian: VERY GOOD(cg) "Brugger is like a Graham Greene character or a sober(-ish) Hunter S. Thompson, diving into the darkness and taking an active role in it so as to shed light on it."(See all of Shawn Levy's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 678 words, 09/07/12
ALTERNATIVE/INDIE PRESS (7 Reviews)
Karina Longworth, Village Voice/LA Weekly: VERY GOOD "Mads Brügger gives what has to be one of the riskiest and most committed performances of the year.... How long will he be able to pull this off?"(See all of Karina Longworth's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 912 words, 08/29/12
Alison Willmore, AV Club: VERY GOOD(cg) "...deserves serious points for boldness, though not cohesiveness. As an exploration of how widespread corruption is on the continent, it's less damning than despairing."(See all of Alison Willmore's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 377 words, 08/30/12
Cynthia Fuchs, Pop Matters: VERY GOOD(cg) "...if Brügger is caught, 'The best you can hope for is to be arrested and go to jail,' and 'the worst you could hope for,' well, that would be death."(See all of Cynthia Fuchs's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 977 words, 09/04/12
Chris Cabin, Slant: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...a lopsided, if irrefutably involving, act of gonzo reportage, part absurdist how-to guide on becoming a diamond smuggler, part outsider tour of a truly lawless land..."(See all of Chris Cabin's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 661 words, 03/21/12
Andrew Parker, Toronto Now: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "It's hard to tell what's genuine and what's manufactured.... [but] the wit and chills in hidden-camera interviews carry lots of weight."(See all of Andrew Parker's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 121 words, 04/26/12
HIGHBROW PRESS (4 Reviews)
A.O. Scott, New York Times: GOOD "...a satire of European cynicism and an exposé of African corruption, but a crucial element of social or ethical concern is missing... But much is genuinely appalling."(See all of A.O. Scott's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 385 words, 08/29/12
Mark Jenkins, NPR: GOOD (NOT GREAT) "The Central African Republic is a violent and often lawless country, which makes 'The Ambassador' a brave undertaking. Yet it lacks enough context for the general viewer..."(See all of Mark Jenkins's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 566 words, 08/28/12
Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times: GOOD "...a nervy documentary... the film asks, why aren't we doing more to stop it when it happens on a much larger scale? It's a very good question."(See all of Kenneth Turan's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 783 words, 08/31/12
Andrew O'Hehir, Salon: GOOD "...queasy-making, hilarious, infuriating, depressing... You'll be fascinated, frustrated and enraged... cuts itself short partway through its amazing and horrifying tale..."(See all of Andrew O'Hehir's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 1,428 words, 08/28/12
MOVIE INDUSTRY (4 Reviews)
Leslie Felperin, Daily Variety: GOOD (NOT GREAT) "...a semicomic, semiserious quest to expose how easy it is to fake an identity in order to bribe officials and smuggle blood diamonds from central Africa."(See all of Leslie Felperin's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 515 words, 11/21/11
Karsten Kastelan, Hollywood Reporter: GOOD "...highly watchable, clearly (and unabashedly) exploitative and often offensive - but it undeniably unearths some very uncomfortable truths about Central Africa in general..."(See all of Karsten Kastelan's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 720 words, 12/20/11
Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times: GOOD "...a nervy documentary... the film asks, why aren't we doing more to stop it when it happens on a much larger scale? It's a very good question."(See all of Kenneth Turan's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 783 words, 08/31/12
A.O. Scott, New York Times: GOOD "...a satire of European cynicism and an exposé of African corruption, but a crucial element of social or ethical concern is missing... But much is genuinely appalling."(See all of A.O. Scott's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 385 words, 08/29/12
10.8 Percentage Points Average Difference Between Reviews (Norm is 18.4pp; <18.4pp = More Consistent; >18.4pp = More Mixed)
The Ambassador (Ambassadoren)'s reviews are separated by an average 10.8 percentage points. The norm for this measure is 18.4 percentage points. Less than 18.4 indicates more consistent reviews; greater than 18.4 indicates more mixed reviews. In the chart below, each dot represents a review, with the dots at the top more positive than the dots at the bottom. From left to right, the dots represent reviews in big, bigger and biggest publications. Roll over each dot for more detail.
The Ambassador (Ambassadoren) (21 reviews) Roll over dots for each review
Coverage:The Ambassador (Ambassadoren)'s reviews cover 23.4% of potential readers (average is 67.9%). Volume:The film's reviews total 11,506 words involume (average is 20,172 words). Length:The film's reviews average 548 words in length (the norm is 517 words).
Reviews Broke 67.8 Hours Before Release (Norm is 1.2 Release)
The Ambassador (Ambassadoren)'s reviews on average broke 67.8 hours before opening. Norm for this measure is 1.2 hours before. The chart below shows reviews on opening day and the days before and after opening; the left side is earlier and the right side is later. The red bars extending above the horizontal mid-line represent more positive reviews, and the red bars extending below represent more negative reviews. The white space/red bar in the middle is The Ambassador (Ambassadoren)'s opening day. Click on any bar for a list of the reviews for that day.
The Ambassador (Ambassadoren) (21 reviews, click on bars for reviews)
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