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American Radical: The Trials of Norman Finkelstein

2009 1h 24m Documentary Biography Mystery & Thriller War List
100% Tomatometer 11 Reviews 87% Popcornmeter 250+ Ratings
American Jewish academic Norman Finkelstein discusses foreign policy toward Israel and the Middle East.

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American Radical: The Trials of Norman Finkelstein

Critics Reviews

View All (11) Critics Reviews
J. R. Jones Chicago Reader An engaging portrait of an academic whose work is both fueled and undermined by his vitriolic personality. Oct 7, 2013 Full Review Gary Goldstein Los Angeles Times While this tenure-challenged Middle Eastern studies professor is hardly pleasant cinematic company, it's tough to look away. Rated: 3/5 Mar 12, 2010 Full Review Stephen Holden New York Times A cautiously respectful documentary portrait of a political firebrand who presents himself as a beacon of moral truth in the murk of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Rated: 3.5/5 Feb 11, 2010 Full Review David Harris Spectrum Culture A fascinating, if somewhat repetitive film, about one of the most confusing conflicts of our time. Rated: 3/5 Oct 16, 2019 Full Review Kam Williams NewsBlaze Paints an empathetic picture of a passionate Palestinian apologist as a loony loudmouth whose rants deserve respect if only because virtually all of his relatives were exterminated in the Holocaust. Rated: 4/4 Feb 13, 2010 Full Review Mark Keizer Boxoffice Magazine While this may be straightforward, politically neutral, documentary filmmaking, its makers have chosen an incendiary subject who pisses most people off the moment he opens his mouth. Rated: 3/5 Feb 12, 2010 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

View All (31) audience reviews
Audience Member Truly provocative and well made. This documentary shows the colorful life of political scientist Norman Finkelstein. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 02/24/23 Full Review sean l A quick bio of Finkelstein, an outspoken Jew with bones to pick in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and an overview of the troubles spawned by his controversial stances. He's a rare voice in the sense that his opinions place him at-odds with his religious homeland, decrying the lack of a Palestinian state and brow-beating the Israeli government for their part in allegedly whitewashing the conflict. It should come as no surprise that such a vocal, incendiary stance has made him all manner of powerful enemies, and his sharp, confrontational personal nature does him no further favors in that respect. Finkelstein at his best is intriguing, an engaging speaker with a fiery streak and the credentials, both personal and scholastic, to back him up against any opponent. Sadly, he also seems doomed to a fate of self-contradiction. He often employs the very same methods in his own tricky public speaking engagements that he vehemently decries in the opposition, even if this documentary does try its very best to clip and trim around such moments. It's just one side of a very complicated debate, and while he does make some convincing points that refute the official story from the United States and Israel, it can be difficult to accept his story and make a judgment without an equally eloquent counterpoint in play. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 03/30/23 Full Review Audience Member Free speech protects but does nor protect from public dismissal. Finkelstein does himself no favours as he pokes the bunny sufficiently to ensure professional demise. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 02/07/23 Full Review Audience Member I love Dr Finkelstein, his work, his commitment to fairness and the true memory of the Holocaust survivors. He is, as all Jews should be, striving for peace, learning from the cruel depravity of the Nazis, and making sure that the names of those murdered in the death camps are never associated with the same evil afflicted upon them. Great documentary and Portrait of a true radical. Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 01/28/23 Full Review Audience Member Starting my Sunday by catching this gripping documentary on LinkTV. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 01/16/23 Full Review Audience Member a fascinating, ambitious documentary about one of the most important and incendiary political figures today, it serves as simultaneously a biopic and psychoanalysis of finkelstein himself, a brief primer on the state of discourse surrounding the Israel/Palestinian conflict, and an account of schisms and tensions within the jewish academic and political elite. what is incredibly interesting, and speaks to the immense skill of the filmmakers, is how the film is palatable to people all ideological leanings, conservative zionists will see it as a clear indictment of a crazed self-hating nut, left-leaning pro-palestine folks will see it as a favorable, sympathetic profile of an important and oft-ignored moral voice. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 02/07/23 Full Review Read all reviews
American Radical: The Trials of Norman Finkelstein

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Movie Info

Synopsis American Jewish academic Norman Finkelstein discusses foreign policy toward Israel and the Middle East.
Director
David Ridgen, Nicolas Rossier
Genre
Documentary, Biography, Mystery & Thriller, War
Original Language
English
Release Date (Streaming)
Jan 23, 2017
Runtime
1h 24m
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