Code Black

Released Jun 20, 2014

1 hr. 22 min.

Documentary

Drama

List

88%

42 Reviews

Tomatometer

80%

2,500+ Ratings

Audience Score

Resident physician Ryan McGarry provides a close-up look at the inner workings of the treatment of trauma patients at one of America's busiest emergency rooms.

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Critics Consensus

Impassioned and infuriating, Code Black awakens viewers to an endemic problem with no clear solution.

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Audience Member

We LOVE this show! How come I'm not seeing it unless I do a search?

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

01/17/23

Full Review

Tim G

Doesn't hold the same visual impact for me and unfortunately doesn't hone in enough on any of the issues it raises (overcrowding, piles of paperwork, etc)

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

08/26/16

Full Review

Audience Member

I thought it was good but didnt delve too deep into much, it kept jumping around without discussing the scenarios much or answers to problems. Rather it was an eye opening introduction about the few county hospitals we have in america and the doctor's challenges they face working there. As they will take any patient their main focus is helping ppl not earning money unlike somex with private practice. However bc of this they are overcrowded, underfunded, understaffed, and dealing with difficult patients. It also was about the difference btw the new hospital and old hospital in la county and the ways in which medicine is changing. It looks at the good and bad on both sides. Before it was more chaotic, less patient privacy and respect, but also more about teamwork and patient time than paperwork. Now it seems to be all about regulations with bigger nicer hospitals and more patient privacy, but less patient-doctor interaction and tons of patient paperwork. This is due to hippa laws and many medical lawsuits. the problem with this is people are now waiting in the EMERGENCY room with life-threatening problems and can't be seen for up to 18-24 hours. Ppl are sitting there in agony and pain and somex leave without treatment they need. medicine seems to go from one extreme to the other and as doctors and nurses we have little say in the healthcare laws passed. Unfortunately like these doctors we just have to learn to work with what we have while sticking to r ideals best we can.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

01/15/23

Full Review

Audience Member

An insightful and often devastating look at the state of affairs in our unsympathetic nation.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

02/13/23

Full Review

Audience Member

The movie makes all of its doctors look like angels and panders to all of their views as if they are the center of healthcare.The film is very subjective and does not really focus on the actual problem of healthcare just the anguish that these cowboy doctors feel about being regulated and organized. The good thing about the film is that it does focus on the fact that these providers do not care about type of insurance you have but they just want to get their jobs done.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

01/15/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Although some critics say that it's just a small portion of the health care crisis it's a very big portion. I work in this environment and when a patient comes in I dont have any idea their ability to pay and I usually never know. Along those lines I see no difference in care from one patient to the next because its always the best we can do.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/21/23

Full Review

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Ryan McGarry

Director

Alison Martin

Lily Taniston

William "Billy" Mallon

Actor

Ryan McGarry

Writer

Joshua Altman

Writer

Linda Goldstein Knowlton

Producer

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J. R. Jones

Chicago Reader

Like most documentary makers addressing the health care crisis, McGarry can't begin to get his arms around the whole problem; this works best as a highly subjective account of a small portion of it.

Sep 12, 2014

Full Review

Tom Long

Detroit News

It sticks halos (probably well-deserved) atop the heads of its doctors, it goes for poignant moments without being all that poignant and ends up bemoaning without seriously suggesting any concrete paths to improvement.

Rated: C+

Aug 22, 2014

Full Review

Steven Rea

Philadelphia Inquirer

A must-see for anyone concerned about the state of health care in this country. Which should be all of us.

Rated: 3.5/4

Aug 1, 2014

Full Review

Richard Propes

TheIndependentCritic.com

An effective and involving documentary feature.

Rated: 3.0/4.0

Sep 5, 2020

Full Review

Josh Goller

Spectrum Culture

Code Black makes the case that ... health care in America is on life support, but it doesn't offer much hope for a cure.

Rated: 2.5/5

Jul 18, 2019

Full Review

Bernard Boo

Way Too Indie

While unbalanced, Code Black provides a fascinating look into the heightened drama of emergency medicine.

Rated: 7/10

Mar 28, 2019

Full Review

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Synopsis

Resident physician Ryan McGarry provides a close-up look at the inner workings of the treatment of trauma patients at one of America's busiest emergency rooms.

Director: Ryan McGarry
Executive Producer: Mark Jonathan Harris, Marti Noxon, Edward Newton, William "Billy" Mallon, Jan Shoenberger, Matthew Damron, Diku Mandavia
Screenwriter: Ryan McGarry, Joshua Altman
Distributor: Long Shot Factory
Genre: Documentary, Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Jun 20, 2014, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Aug 24, 2015
Box Office (Gross USA): $190.2K

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