83
Metascore
15 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 100The A.V. ClubScott TobiasThe A.V. ClubScott TobiasIf nothing else, the film puts the lie to the notion that an abortion could ever be frivolous or lightly considered. On that point, everyone in Lake Of Fire agrees, whether they acknowledge the other side or not.
- 90New York Magazine (Vulture)David EdelsteinNew York Magazine (Vulture)David EdelsteinLake of Fire centers on abortion, but Kaye understands that while dead fetuses are the hook, the agenda covers the whole life cycle.
- 90VarietyVarietyAn extraordinary docu achievement. Handsomely filmed on silvery 35mm and high-definition by Kaye himself, the shrewdly edited picture balances a full spectrum of views from all sides of the abortion debate without obviously taking a position itself.
- 80The Hollywood ReporterThe Hollywood ReporterSmart, visually appealing, and consistently engaging.
- 80Village VoiceJ. HobermanVillage VoiceJ. HobermanAt once monumental and ghostly.
- 80SalonAndrew O'HehirSalonAndrew O'HehirHighly compelling, if overlong and overwrought.
- 75New York PostKyle SmithNew York PostKyle SmithA great abortion documentary might leave you guessing which side of the debate the director was on. Lake of Fire is not that film, but it comes somewhat close.
- 75Entertainment WeeklyLisa SchwarzbaumEntertainment WeeklyLisa SchwarzbaumIt's impossible to watch Tony Kaye's theatrically supercharged, equal-opportunity button-pusher without experiencing a welter of emotions -- which is just what the filmmaker planned.
- 70The New York TimesManohla DargisThe New York TimesManohla DargisOne lesson of Lake of Fire is the galvanizing power of the visual image. Sometimes a picture is worth a thousand words, and sometimes pictures are not enough.