Power

Play trailer

2:18

Power

R

Released May 10

1h 25m

Documentary

History

Play Trailer

Watchlist

Watchlist

Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

79%

Tomatometer

38 Reviews

53%

Popcornmeter

Fewer than 50 Ratings

Driven to contain threats to social order, American policing has exploded in scope and scale over hundreds of years. Now, it can be described by one word: power.

Watch on Netflix

Stream Now

Critics Consensus

Packing in a ton of archival material into a sleek documentary, Power achieves impressive breadth if not depth in outlining far-reaching systemic issues.

Read Critics Reviews

Dan Einav

Financial Times

[Power] delivers a searing, searching survey of the history of American policing and the pervasive issues that have allowed countless officers across the nation to intimidate and brutalise citizens under a banner of “law and order”.

Rated: 4/5

May 23, 2024

Full Review

Brian Lowry

CNN.com

“Power” makes an intellectual argument, but it’s built on a visceral foundation, purposefully bleeding from past generations into the current one.

May 17, 2024

Full Review

Robert Abele

Los Angeles Times

“Power” could just as easily have benefited from the docuseries treatment, but even at less than 90 minutes, it lands plenty of hard truths and harder questions.

May 13, 2024

Full Review

Abe Friedtanzer

The Film Experience

This film serves as a strong complement to other eye-opening examinations of race in American history like Stamped from the Beginning and Driving While Black. Ford has assembled a thorough history lesson while also remaining grounded in the present.

Rated: B+

Jul 24, 2024

Full Review

Chuck Bowen

Style Weekly (Richmond, VA)

One can be sympathetic to these points and still find “Power” to be a scattershot TED Talk in cinematic clothing.

Jul 10, 2024

Full Review

Calum Baker

Radio Times

For those viewers already on the film's political wavelength, Power offers relatively little new thinking, but it works as a clear, rousing and urgent reminder of the complexities and contradictions that underpin so much of society.

Rated: 3/5

May 30, 2024

Full Review

Read all reviews

James G

Smells like bacon and boot in the audience rating section..

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

06/05/24

Full Review

Michael W

This documentary was pretty good. The entire crew did a pretty good job on talking about the history of policing and what it's like in today. It really makes you wonder if you can ever trust a cop again. If you haven't seen this documentary yet, check it out sometime. It's worth it.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

05/23/24

Full Review

Honest D

Alarming documentary. Everyone should see this.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

05/20/24

Full Review

Chris H

An important history of the nature and purposes of policing in the US (or anywhere else perhaps). Shocking in places and overall very depressing. Watch it though.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

05/20/24

Full Review

Sal D

Biting, insightful but not condescending look at the issues, from a multidimensional perspective, with policing in America.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

05/19/24

Full Review

Read all reviews

Read More

Read Less

POST RATING

WRITE A REVIEW

EDIT REVIEW

Yance Ford

Director

Sweta Vohra

Producer

Jess Devaney

Producer

Yance Ford

Producer

Netsanet Negussie

Producer

Anya Rous

Executive Producer

Show Less Cast & Crew

Show More Cast & Crew

Stamped From the Beginning

100%

66%

Stamped From the Beginning

Watchlist

Every Body

98%

96%

Every Body

Watchlist

TRAILER

for Every Body

Bring Your Own Brigade

89%

100%

Bring Your Own Brigade

Watchlist

TRAILER

for Bring Your Own Brigade

One Child Nation

98%

86%

One Child Nation

Watchlist

TRAILER

for One Child Nation

Black Ice

96%

90%

Black Ice

Watchlist

TRAILER

for Black Ice

Discover more movies and TV shows.

View More

Power: Trailer

2:18

View more videos

View more photos

Synopsis

Driven to contain threats to social order, American policing has exploded in scope and scale over hundreds of years. Now, it can be described by one word: power.

Director: Yance Ford
Producer: Sweta Vohra, Jess Devaney, Yance Ford, Netsanet Negussie
Distributor: Netflix
Production Co: Multitude Films
Rating: R
Genre: Documentary, History
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): May 10, 2024, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): May 17, 2024
Runtime: 1h 25m

Most Popular at Home Now