Let the Fire Burn

Released Sep 20, 2013

1h 28m

Drama

Mystery & Thriller

List

98%

Tomatometer

47 Reviews

90%

Audience Score

500+ Ratings

Filmmaker Jason Osder illustrates how prejudice, intolerance and fear can lead to unthinkable acts of violence.

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Critics Consensus

Smartly edited and heartbreakingly compelling, Let the Fire Burn uses archival footage to uncover a troubling -- and still deeply resonant -- chapter in American history.

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J. Hoberman

ARTINFO.com

The violent clash between constitutional freedoms and social society, not to mention the racial conflict, make for a very American story.

Feb 25, 2019

Full Review

Zeba Blay

Shadow and Act

There have been many documentaries comprised entirely out of archival footage, but few as powerfully and masterfully structured as this one.

Mar 28, 2017

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Michael Phillips

Chicago Tribune

Director Jason Osder's grieving account of the deadly police assault on the MOVE collective's fortified Philadelphia row house works small, continuous miracles with a variety of existing footage.

Rated: 4/4

Jun 13, 2014

Full Review

Eve Tushnet

Patheos

A must-watch if you’re interested in Black American history, post-1968 city governance, or documentary craft.

Mar 24, 2023

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Sarah Brinks

Battleship Pretension

Let the Fire Burn is an intense documentary that plays out like a fictional thriller. First time filmmaker Jason Osder hit a homerun his first time out.

Feb 16, 2021

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Daniel Barnes

Dare Daniel

Powerful and disturbing.

Rated: 4/5

Oct 2, 2019

Full Review

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benjamin b

Fuck the Philadelphia Police. Solidarity with MOVE.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

03/30/23

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Tim G

Mind-boggling to think this happened. A doc using only footage and no talking heads makes for an immersive experience.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

10/25/15

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Audience Member

Cuts between news footage of the events as they unfurled and testimony from hearings held afterward to create a stark, nonjudgmental portrait of an incident that probably neednâ??t have happened â?? but was propelled by people on both sides who seemed uninterested in preventing it.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

02/06/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Disturbing and eye-opening footage masterfully pieced together for this outstanding documentary that takes no sides, but merely tells this gruesome story of American people.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

02/06/23

Full Review

Audience Member

In what could have been a complete, forgive the pun, burn of one side or the other, Osder manages to show both the enraged extremism of MOVE and the callous negligence of Philadelphia officials as equally damning. When they announce to MOVE, holed up in their "bunker" on Osage St. "Attention MOVE, this is America," it sounds as if they are attacking as from one nation to another. Perhaps it should never have gotten that far, but it does highlight the current racial/social divide coming more and more to light across the U.S. that we all pretended wasn't there. Although the actions of the police, of city officials, of this person of that color, or that person of this color may not speak for all, their need to live the life they want without persecution or ruin does. If anything, stories like this allow us to take a step back and reflect that given enough time we end up becoming our own worst enemy when we need to be each others' keepers, if not friends.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

01/17/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Predecessor to the botched raid and further nonsense in Waco TX which was only a few years after this, Let The Fire Burn uses solely archival footage to tell this 1985 story with wild candor, heart, and shocking immediacy. Stunning, infuriating, amazingly emotional - the police commissioner and mayor decided to bomb a verbally hostile group camped out in a housing development and then let it burn with people inside, and the innocent neighboring houses burn down as well. The news cameras rolled during this whole incident, and later interviews are used as well to crushing effect. This is not an easy movie to experience, and yet it allows you to understand the human suffering on both sides of the controversy. You will also experience the aggravation, horror, and misunderstandings on all sides. A piercing, heart-felt take on a truly tragic set of circumstances. Don't miss this sobering testament. 5 out of 5

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

01/12/23

Full Review

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Jason Osder

Director

Jason Osder

Producer

Andrew Herwitz

Executive Producer

Nels Bangerter

Film Editing

Christopher Mangum

Original Music

Show Less Cast & Crew

Show More Cast & Crew

93%

75%

Neighboring Sounds

87%

74%

Margin Call

36%

36%

The Fifth Estate

0%

58%

Persecuted

77%

69%

Kill the Messenger

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Critics Consensus: Gravity is Certified Fresh

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Synopsis

Filmmaker Jason Osder illustrates how prejudice, intolerance and fear can lead to unthinkable acts of violence.

Director: Jason Osder
Producer: Andrew Herwitz
Distributor: Zeitgeist
Production Co: Amigo Media
Genre: Drama, Mystery & Thriller
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Sep 20, 2013, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Mar 22, 2016
Box Office (Gross USA): $59.0K
Runtime: 1h 28m

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