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Poster for The Gatekeepers

The Gatekeepers

2012 · 1h 41m · PG-13 Documentary, History, War
Directed by Dror Moreh

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Overview

In an unprecedented and candid series of interviews, six former heads of the Shin Bet — Israel's intelligence and security agency — speak about their role in Israel's decades-long counterterrorism campaign, discussing their controversial methods and whether the ends ultimately justify the means.

Director and cast

Critics on Rotten Tomatoes

Top critics, in their words

All reviews
94%
Tomatometer
Fresh

There is a powerful moment in [the film] when Diskin, head of the Shin Bet from 2005 to 2011, candidly remarks that for the Palestinians he is himself a terrorist. That is not relativism but realism, and the welcome sign of an empathetic imagination.

David Thomson, The New Republic
Fresh

The film and its talking head participants paint the picture in both broad strokes and fine detail.

Tom Long, Detroit News
Fresh

Whatever one's political stripe regarding Israel, it's hard to dispute the impressions and perspective of the film's six eyewitnesses.

Tom Keogh, Seattle Times
Fresh

The level of candor here may not satisfy hard-liners of either stripe, but it can help viewers begin to formulate new questions about the philosophical, strategic and moral challenges of conflict, in particular "wars on terror."

Lisa Kennedy, Denver Post
Rotten

Ultimately the movie feels evasive, and its flashy, digitally animated re-creations of military surveillance footage unpleasantly evoke the Call of Duty video games.

Ben Sachs, Chicago Reader

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