MLK/FBI

Released Jan 15, 2021

1 hr. 42 min.

Documentary

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List

98%

126 Reviews

Tomatometer

66%

50+ Ratings

Audience Score

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. is remembered today as an American hero: a bridge-builder, a shrewd political tactician, and a moral leader. Yet throughout his history-altering political career, he was often treated by U.S. intelligence and law enforcement agencies like an enemy of the state. In this virtuosic documentary, award-winning editor and director Sam Pollard (Editor, 4 LITTLE GIRLS, MO’ BETTER BLUES; Director/Producer, EYEZ ON THE PRIZE, SAMMY DAVIS, JR.: I’VE GOTTA BE ME) lays out a detailed account of the FBI surveillance that dogged King’s activism throughout the ’50s and ’60s, fueled by the racist and red-baiting paranoia of J. Edgar Hoover. In crafting a rich archival tapestry, featuring some revelatory restored footage of King, Pollard urges us to remember that true American progress is always hard-won.

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Critics Consensus

MLK/FBI presents a sobering overview of the American intelligence community's efforts to discredit and destroy a leader of the civil rights movement.

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p VanZandt

Very informative, especially with all the political climate these days. I live documentaries anyways.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

01/23/21

Full Review

Dallas H

I guess I was never paying attention during history class. But I did not know how closely the FBI was spying on King. And they were trying to extort him as a philanderer because they believed he was a plausible national threat?

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

01/16/24

Full Review

Audience Member

I thought this was an interesting look inside the life of Martin Luther King as he leads his people to freedom while the FBI keeps close tabs on him. It thought it was also a dark period for Hoover plus the people of America for their treatment of King plus other African-Americans in the 60s. I look forward to Feb. 2027 when more tapes will be released of MLK by the FBI, but just seems strange we need to wait so long, similar to the JFK news releases

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

01/13/23

Full Review

Audience Member

I'd recommend this movie for history buffs and any civil rights activists

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

02/01/23

Full Review

S R

Mixed feelings on this but its key strength is the archival footage detailing MLK's life. The FBI don't come across at all well but at least we see why - the apparently revered J Edgar Hoover was a relentless decryer of any attempts from the civil rights movement to gain recognition. In context of the period it's understandable but from a modern perspective it's appalling how the colour of a man's skin marked him as a dissident simply for trying to gain equality. At least I got the chance to see and hear MLK in action all in one documentary. I would like to see this film become part of any critical race theory education package.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

10/12/21

Full Review

dave d

Extremely slow and thorough and this documentary sometimes gets caught chasing its own tail, but overall this is an enlightening look at how bad our government is in the United States. The FBI was dirty, no surprise there, but how dirty will blow your mind. While I enjoyed this film, it was distracting for me to not see any talking heads. The decision to only include archive footage and audio from people interviewed recently was odd. Plenty to dig into with this one! Final Score: 7.4/10

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

Full Review

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Samuel D. Pollard

Director

David Garrow

Self

Donna Murch

Self

Marc Perrusquia

Self

Andrew Young

Self

Beverly Gage

Self

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MLK/FBI: Trailer 1

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Soraya Nadia McDonald

Andscape

While MLK/FBI is expansive and humane, it leaves room for a deeper and more concentrated look at Coretta Scott King as an individual who faced her own enormous challenges as a public figure.

Mar 9, 2021

Full Review

tt stern-enzi

WXIX-TV (Cincinnati, OH)

It gives the public a full opportunity to understand who King was as a person, a man, a human being...we see his failings, but we also see how great and powerful his movement was...

Mar 2, 2021

Full Review

Amon Warmann

Empire Magazine

An eye-opening documentary that poses hard questions and gives no easy answers, MLK/FBI is a worthy addition to the ever-timely media concerning Martin Luther King Jr.

Rated: 4/5

Jan 22, 2021

Full Review

M.N. Miller

Ready Steady Cut

A spellbinding work.

Rated: 4.5/5

Sep 11, 2022

Full Review

Keith Garlington

Keith & the Movies

Pollard doesn’t linger on the unknown. His film is about examining what we do know, highlighting the abuse of federal power to thwart a powerful national movement.

Rated: 4/5

Aug 24, 2022

Full Review

Brian Eggert

Deep Focus Review

This film offers another example of how past administrations and agencies have worked against voices of equality, and how these conversations remain necessary even to this day.

Rated: 3.5/4

Feb 17, 2022

Full Review

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Synopsis

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. is remembered today as an American hero: a bridge-builder, a shrewd political tactician, and a moral leader. Yet throughout his history-altering political career, he was often treated by U.S. intelligence and law enforcement agencies like an enemy of the state. In this virtuosic documentary, award-winning editor and director Sam Pollard (Editor, 4 LITTLE GIRLS, MO’ BETTER BLUES; Director/Producer, EYEZ ON THE PRIZE, SAMMY DAVIS, JR.: I’VE GOTTA BE ME) lays out a detailed account of the FBI surveillance that dogged King’s activism throughout the ’50s and ’60s, fueled by the racist and red-baiting paranoia of J. Edgar Hoover. In crafting a rich archival tapestry, featuring some revelatory restored footage of King, Pollard urges us to remember that true American progress is always hard-won.

Director: Samuel D. Pollard
Executive Producer: Charlotte Cook, Steven Farneth, David Friend, Marie Therese Guirgis, Kate Hurwitz
Screenwriter: Benjamin Hedin, Laura Tomaselli
Distributor: IFC Films
Production Co: Field of Vision
Genre: Documentary
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Jan 15, 2021, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Jan 15, 2021
Box Office (Gross USA): $44.9K

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