The Cove stands out from the crowd due to the readily apparent awfulness of the event it depicts.
Comment
10/23/09
The Cove (2009)
95
%
Tomatometer
How does the Tomatometer work 
Reviews Counted:107
Fresh:102
Rotten:5
Average Rating:8/10
Consensus: Though decidedly one-sided, The Cove is an impeccably crafted, suspenseful expose of the covert slaughter of dolphins in Japan.
Theatrical Release:23-10-2009
Synopsis: The Cove is an astounding piece of investigative journalism with the heart of an action thriller. Led by Louie Psihoyos, leader of the Ocean Preservation Society, and Richard O'Barry, an... [More]
Director: Louie Psihoyos
Reviews for The Cove
Top CriticAn involving and persuasive film that remains frustratingly one-sided as it bandies about unsubstantiated accusations, fails to follow up on key issues and leaves you wanting to know much more.
10/23/09
This documentary is also as well made as anything released all year, blending hard facts, cold scientific reason plus the thrills of a Hollywood spy movie to terrific effect.
10/30/09
A taut, thrilling documentary that plays out like a heist movie while never overshadowing its message or activist credentials.
10/23/09
Top CriticIn this new, post-Michael Moore age of documentary filmmaking as lucrative big-screen fare, a documentary that educates without condescension, informs without bias and entertains without losing its focus is a valuable commodity.
10/23/09
The great strength of this documentary about the covert killing of wild dolphins in Japan is its aesthetic: artful edits, zippy music, even a few jokes. Radical stuff for an eco-documentary.
10/23/09
Top CriticFacts, stats and grim archive footage help build up a convincing if one-sided case, but it is the film’s revelatory covert recording that encapsulates the true power of documentary cinema.
10/23/09
This outstanding documentary is as exciting as a thriller.
10/30/09
[An] impassioned piece of agit-prop, which goes to great lengths to penetrate Taiji's tight security to expose this problem in gruesome detail.
10/23/09
This film virtually creates a new genre: the horror doc. It's a gripping and compelling film about something utterly unthinkable.
10/28/09
Part-espionage thriller, part-documentary.
10/23/09
Restrained and harrowing.
10/30/09
One would imagine, and hope, that an Oscar nomination beckons.
10/23/09
There’s an effective thriller element to this vividly assembled doc.
10/23/09
Top CriticIf The Cove isn’t in the running for next year’s Best Doc Oscar, there’s something terribly wrong with this world. Gripping exposé, harrowing horror-thriller and devastating agitprop, it takes us to “a little town with a big secret”.
10/23/09
A powerful, important and extremely well made documentary that demands to be seen.
10/23/09
Presenting its compelling case with exceptional cinematic craft, The Cove is one of 2009's finest documentaries to date. Be sure to see it.
07/27/09
As the subject of a documentary, this grim enterprise distinctly lacks the warm and fuzzy appeal of The March of the Penguins. So director Louie Psihoyos ingeniously reinvents his film as a spy caper.
08/19/09
A documentary that mixes advocacy journalism with the suspenseful thrill of a caper.
07/29/09
The result is quite horrific. No-one could be unmoved. But at the same time I did back away from the campaigning elements of the film.
08/19/09
Latest News for The Cove
November 19, 2009:
Academy Releases Documentary Shortlist 
Awards season is just around the corner, and to prove it, the Academy just released its list of the 15 films still vying for a Documentary Feature Oscar. More...
August 13, 2009:
Green Docs Finding Box Office a Hostile Environment
They have timely topics, great buzz, and meaningful messages -- so why are environmental documentaries like "The Cove" struggling to find theatrical audiences? More...
July 30, 2009:
Critics Consensus: Funny People Is Ambitious But Uneven
This week at the movies, we've got the tears of a clown (Funny People, starring Adam Sandler and Seth Rogen), extra-terrestrial visitors upstairs (Aliens in the Attic, starring... More...
June 21, 2009:
Trailer & Poster review
More...
What’s Hot On RT
Other News
Fresh Links
Featured
RT on YouTube
Subscribe to RT's YouTube channel and don't miss a second of our cracking video content.
RT on Twitter
Follow Rotten Tomatoes and join us as we tweet about the week's releases.
IGN RSS Feeds