At 152 minutes, his film doesn't seem long, because at every moment something absorbing, disturbing, depressing or infuriating is happening.
Comment
10/26/07
Lake of Fire (2007)
94
%
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:51
Fresh:48
Rotten:3
Average Rating:7.7/10
Consensus: Lake of Fire's engaging interviews and powerful black-and-white visuals make for a riveting and honest documentary about a very controversial topic.
Runtime: 2 hrs 32 mins
Genre: Musical & Performing Arts
Synopsis: Director Tony Kaye (AMERICAN HISTORY X) helms this black-and-white documentary about one of the most controversial issues in America: abortion.
Director: Tony Kaye
Reviews for Lake of Fire
Top CriticNo one will have an easy time of it with Lake of Fire, a work of profound anguish centered on the abortion rights debate.
10/25/07
This Lake is deep, dark and very disturbing as an in-depth look at passionate beliefs, shocking choices and an issue that may never be resolved.
10/25/07
This is not impartial filmmaking. This is manipulation.
10/25/07
Lake of Fire does something with the volatile subject of abortion that neutral observers and even political partisans can appreciate: It offers a wide representation of perspectives and opinions.
10/19/07
It's the arguments on both sides that make this long, gripping film such a vital contribution to the national conversation about abortion.
10/19/07
Upsetting, engrossing, engaging documentary on abortion.
10/19/07
Provides gruesome, incontrovertible images to complement its deliberations about morality.
10/19/07
Kaye denies that his film has a political bias, but it does.
10/17/07
A 2 1/2 -hour documentary on abortion may sound like a hard sell, but the depth and scope of Tony Kaye's grueling Lake of Fire nonetheless justifies feeling like you've just taken a long, blistering soak in one.
10/12/07
Top CriticThe latest in a long list of hyper-politicized, sensationalistic documentaries that are high on scare tactics and shock value, but low on progressive discourse.
10/12/07
For a notoriously 'difficult' director, Kaye turned in a surprisingly even-handed film, and his sensitive treatment of his interview subjects leads to a number of revealing moments.
10/05/07
A monumental achievement, 17 years in the making and financed by Kaye himself, Lake of Fire reveals Kaye to be a far more thoughtful and mature filmmaker than his loose cannon public persona suggests.
10/05/07
There's a madness to Lake Of Fire, a two-and-a-half hour documentary about abortion in America, that goes hand-in-glove with its staggering achievement.
10/05/07
[Kaye has] taken his camera places and filmed things that neither side will want you see.
10/05/07
Along with Kay’s masterful compositions, effulgent black and white cinematography elevates the material over typical documentary filmmaking.
10/05/07
Wherever you stand on the volatile issue of abortion, Tony Kaye's exhaustive documentary could dislodge your certainties with a broad survey of opinion from opposite extremes and explicit depictions of medical procedures.
10/04/07
Highly compelling, if overlong and overwrought.
10/04/07
Viewer opinions about life and death provoked by Lake of Fire are not likely to flip, but they sure will get shaken.
10/03/07
[The] film does nothing to advance the debate but does a great deal to show us what's at stake.
10/03/07
Latest News for Lake of Fire
March 10, 2008:
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The critically-acclaimed, Oscar-winning No Country For Old Men comes to DVD this week, accompanied by a litany of fellow Fresh films (Lake of Fire, Summer Palace, Dan in Real... More...
November 20, 2007:
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A little over a week after reporting the names of the dozen films being submitted for Oscar consideration in the animated feature film category, Variety has given readers the... More...
October 06, 2007:
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October 04, 2007:
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