1971

2014

1 hr. 19 min.

Drama

List

97%

31 Reviews

Tomatometer

78%

500+ Ratings

Audience Score

On March 8, 1971, The Citizens' Commission to Investigate the FBI, a group of ordinary citizens, breaks into a small FBI office in Pennsylvania, takes every file, and exposes the FBI's illegal surveillance and intimidation of citizens.

Read More

Read Less

Critics Consensus

Illuminating a chapter of America's past that ties directly into current events, 1971 persuasively demonstrates that those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it.

Read Critics Reviews

Audience Member

It's I must see for everyone. It just shows how people have truly changed and not in the best way either

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/13/23

Full Review

andrey k

Beautiful documentary about courageous people involved in a curious case that i'd hadn't known about. USA is surely (or was?) a great a country with truly freedom-loving people.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

Full Review

Audience Member

"1971" is such a wonderfully realized and informative documentary, that not only gives you a real sense of the period in which it documents, but also acts as a brilliant and tense story, leaving the viewer in awe. "1971" follows the story of a group of young political activists, who in the early 70's had enough with J. Edgar Hoover and the FBI. As a form of protest, the group managed to secretly infiltrate an FBI office and steal hundreds of incriminating documents, which they would send to new papers and media outlets alike, bursting the FBI wide open and forcing them to rethink and change their strategies. It's no secret to anyone who has ever watched a documentary on America, that the FBI are criminally corrupt and held up by the grace of the corruption in the American government, its just a fact, however for me, although I was aware of the stuff they were capable of, still found "1971" to be totally fresh and in some instances frightening. Here we have a brilliantly simple and human story, told via the actual activists who carried out the raid, its constantly intimate and the entire first act feels like you are sitting through the best parts of a Mission Impossible plan. The story is wonderfully told through contributor and also reenactment, adding a further sense of tension. The film manages to have all its markers laid out and hit each one every time, the film is paced brilliantly, is constantly heartfelt and informative, it is full of information and never makes your feel over bloated, this is a brilliantly crafted piece of film. Its hard to find flaws with "1971", maybe a lack of opposing contributors may file under that category, however the proof is so in the pudding with its argument, it would be impossible to argue with anything this film lays on the table. A must watch.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

01/19/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Interesting forebear of wikileaks and expose of governmental misdeed.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

02/11/23

Full Review

Audience Member

This excellent documentary is almost a prequel to Watergate. FBI and internal surveliance. Aren't you glad this never happened again?!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/26/23

Full Review

Audience Member

important documentary

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

01/18/23

Full Review

Read all reviews

Post a rating

Johanna Hamilton

Director

Rich Graff

John Raines

Lauren A. Kennedy

Bonnie Raines

Johanna Hamilton

Screenwriter

Gabriel Rhodes

Screenwriter

Katy Chevigny

Producer

Show Less Cast & Crew

Show More Cast & Crew

97%

93%

Spotlight

TRAILER

for Spotlight

43%

67%

Life of a King

93%

91%

The Fool

77%

72%

The Attorney

93%

78%

Manuscripts Don't Burn

Discover more movies and TV shows.

View More

New on Netflix: Season Two of How to Get Away With Murder and More

View more photos

Robert Lloyd

Los Angeles Times

In her recounting, a strange and lively atmosphere of outrage, enthusiasm and paranoia, Hamilton has made of her tale a kind of real-life, old-fashioned analog caper film.

Jun 4, 2015

Full Review

Kate Muir

Times (UK)

1971 is a fascinating documentary that unearths the human story behind a burglary of the FBI offices in Media, Pennsylvania, when every secret file was stolen.

Rated: 4/5

Jun 4, 2015

Full Review

Leslie Felperin

Guardian

Well worth seeking out, especially for anyone with an interest in activism and counterculture history.

Rated: 4/5

Jun 4, 2015

Full Review

Deborah Krieger

The Stake (Minnesota)

The film is entertaining; there are many small moments of humor to be found in the tense situations, and audiences are satisfied to see the FBI's activities exposed for what they were.

Jul 27, 2018

Full Review

John Fink

The Film Stage

Well-told and engaging, 1971 effectively build a portrait of the times and what follows without leaning too heavily on the recreations.

Rated: B+

Jun 6, 2016

Full Review

David Parkinson

Radio Times

Grips like a thriller but it also amuses ...

Rated: 4/5

Jun 4, 2015

Full Review

Read all reviews

Synopsis

On March 8, 1971, The Citizens' Commission to Investigate the FBI, a group of ordinary citizens, breaks into a small FBI office in Pennsylvania, takes every file, and exposes the FBI's illegal surveillance and intimidation of citizens.

Director: Johanna Hamilton
Executive Producer: Abigail Disney, Julie Goldman, Lilly Hartley, G. Perezutti Hearst, Gabriella P. Hearst
Screenwriter: Johanna Hamilton, Gabriel Rhodes
Genre: Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Streaming): Dec 5, 2016