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Let the Fire Burn

Play trailer Poster for Let the Fire Burn 2013 1h 28m Drama Mystery & Thriller Play Trailer Watchlist
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98% Tomatometer 46 Reviews 90% Popcornmeter 500+ Ratings
Filmmaker Jason Osder illustrates how prejudice, intolerance and fear can lead to unthinkable acts of violence.

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Let the Fire Burn

Let the Fire Burn

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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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Critics Reviews

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J. Hoberman ARTINFO.com 02/25/2019
The violent clash between constitutional freedoms and social society, not to mention the racial conflict, make for a very American story. Go to Full Review
Zeba Blay Shadow and Act 03/28/2017
There have been many documentaries comprised entirely out of archival footage, but few as powerfully and masterfully structured as this one. Go to Full Review
Michael Phillips Chicago Tribune 06/13/2014
4/4
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. Go to Full Review
Eve Tushnet Patheos 03/24/2023
A must-watch if you’re interested in Black American history, post-1968 city governance, or documentary craft. Go to Full Review
Sarah Brinks Battleship Pretension 02/16/2021
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. Go to Full Review
Daniel Barnes Dare Daniel 10/02/2019
4/5
Powerful and disturbing. Go to Full Review
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Audience Reviews

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Benjamin B 02/09/2016 Fuck the Philadelphia Police. Solidarity with MOVE. See more Tim G 10/25/2015 Mind-boggling to think this happened. A doc using only footage and no talking heads makes for an immersive experience. See more 03/18/2015 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. See more 02/27/2015 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. See more 01/05/2015 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. See more 10/03/2014 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 See more Read all reviews
Let the Fire Burn

My Rating

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Movie Info

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