Review of 1971 (2014) by Dillinger P — 22 Sep 2015

"1971" is such a wonderfully realized and informative documentary, that not only gives you a real sense of the period in which it documents, but also acts as a brilliant and tense story, leaving the viewer in awe.

"1971" follows the story of a group of young political activists, who in the early 70's had enough with J. Edgar Hoover and the FBI. As a form of protest, the group managed to secretly infiltrate an FBI office and steal hundreds of incriminating documents, which they would send to new papers and media outlets alike, bursting the FBI wide open and forcing them to rethink and change their strategies.

It's no secret to anyone who has ever watched a documentary on America, that the FBI are criminally corrupt and held up by the grace of the corruption in the American government, its just a fact, however for me, although I was aware of the stuff they were capable of, still found "1971" to be totally fresh and in some instances frightening.

Here we have a brilliantly simple and human story, told via the actual activists who carried out the raid, its constantly intimate and the entire first act feels like you are sitting through the best parts of a Mission Impossible plan.

The story is wonderfully told through contributor and also reenactment, adding a further sense of tension. The film manages to have all its markers laid out and hit each one every time, the film is paced brilliantly, is constantly heartfelt and informative, it is full of information and never makes your feel over bloated, this is a brilliantly crafted piece of film.

Its hard to find flaws with "1971", maybe a lack of opposing contributors may file under that category, however the proof is so in the pudding with its argument, it would be impossible to argue with anything this film lays on the table.

A must watch.