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Poster for The Most Dangerous Man in America: Daniel Ellsberg and the Pentagon Papers

The Most Dangerous Man in America: Daniel Ellsberg and the Pentagon Papers

Half of democracy is just showing up.

2009 · 1h 32m · N/A Documentary
Directed by Judith Ehrlich

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Overview

"The Most Dangerous Man in America" is the story of what happens when a former Pentagon insider, armed only with his conscience, steadfast determination, and a file cabinet full of classified documents, decides to challenge an "Imperial" Presidency-answerable to neither Congress, the press, nor the people-in order to help end the Vietnam War.

Director and cast

Critics on Rotten Tomatoes

Top critics, in their words

All reviews
96%
Tomatometer
Fresh

For those who know the story, Most Dangerous Man puts it in fresh perspective. If you don't, there's probably not a better way to discover it.

Chris Vognar, Dallas Morning News
Fresh

This isn't a dusty chapter of ancient history, but a fresh, exciting story. Ellsberg, who worked as a defense analyst in the government-funded Rand Corp., emerges as a complex and contradictory character.

Colin Covert, Minneapolis Star Tribune
Fresh

For those who lived through the turmoil of Vietnam, and for the generations that have come since, the film is an important document in its own right.

Steven Rea, Philadelphia Inquirer
Fresh

The film is also an exciting cloak-and-dagger thriller.

Joe Williams, St. Louis Post-Dispatch
Fresh

Ehrlich and Goldsmith carve out their own little place in the canon by focusing on the ethical journey of one man who refused to shrug off his own responsibility for the war and atoned for it with a seismic act of civil disobedience.

J. R. Jones, Chicago Reader

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