75
Metascore
17 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 88TV Guide MagazineKen FoxTV Guide MagazineKen FoxSchroeder's film is a fascinating character study in contradictions and in the end Verges remains loathsome, oddly charismatic and willfully enigmatic.
- 83Entertainment WeeklyLisa SchwarzbaumEntertainment WeeklyLisa SchwarzbaumThe title Terror's Advocate is both a statement of fact and a worrisome understatement in a documentary as slippery as its subject.
- 80Village VoiceJ. HobermanVillage VoiceJ. HobermanTerror's Advocate is largely a mix of talking heads and archival footage, but as Vergés's connections to Swiss neo-Nazis and Congo secessionists are explored, the movie becomes a fantastic international thriller.
- 80The New York TimesA.O. ScottThe New York TimesA.O. ScottIt is one of the most engaging, morally unsettling political thrillers in quite some time, with the extra advantage of being true.
- 80Los Angeles TimesKenneth TuranLos Angeles TimesKenneth TuranIt is the gift of Terror's Advocate, Barbet Schroeder's riveting new documentary, to simply present Vergès as is, to say "here is the man" and let things speak for themselves. Do they ever.
- 75The A.V. ClubNoel MurrayThe A.V. ClubNoel MurrayIf nothing else, Terror's Advocate offers a useful summary of the last half-century of global politics, and how changing public perceptions can make goats out of heroes.
- 70The Hollywood ReporterKirk HoneycuttThe Hollywood ReporterKirk HoneycuttA fascinating film even if it never completely pins him (Verges) down.
- 70VarietyLisa NesselsonVarietyLisa NesselsonSure to inspire debate in France and Germany and of obvious interest to anyone who follows the roots of modern international terrorism, doc probes gray areas in the colorful life of its controversial, limelight-courting subject.
- 63PremiereGlenn KennyPremiereGlenn KennyIt's a fascinating portrait, but it's also choppy and rushed and lopsided.
- 50New York Daily NewsJack MathewsNew York Daily NewsJack MathewsWhile I understand Vergès' oft-repeated claim that he wants to use these sensational cases to point out that the French were no better than the Nazis in their treatment of colonial subjects, it's impossible to overlook his glib dismissal of his clients' crimes and the smug righteousness that rests in the smirk constantly on his face.