80
Metascore
13 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 100Wall Street JournalJoe MorgensternWall Street JournalJoe MorgensternDesert One, a superb documentary by Barbara Kopple, snatches high drama from the jaws of devastating failure.
- 100Chicago Sun-TimesRichard RoeperChicago Sun-TimesRichard RoeperYou feel a hurricane of emotions watching Barbara Kopple’s brilliant and searing documentary Desert One.
- 100RogerEbert.comGodfrey CheshireRogerEbert.comGodfrey CheshireBeyond the political implications, this is a terrifically dramatic and very emotional film; understandably, some of the interviewees struggle to maintain composure when recalling their past trials.
- 88Movie NationRoger MooreMovie NationRoger MooreDesert One is unsparing and unflinching.
- 78Austin ChronicleMarjorie BaumgartenAustin ChronicleMarjorie BaumgartenWhat Desert One does accomplish in shining a light on this epic national failure is to celebrate the American can-do spirit and a noble willingness to go down trying.
- 70The Hollywood ReporterJordan MintzerThe Hollywood ReporterJordan MintzerA film that can be somewhat conventional in form, including a score that overdoes it on the pathos, but one that still provides a fascinating deep dive into organized failure.
- 70VarietyOwen GleibermanVarietyOwen GleibermanYou emerge from Desert One knowing certain aspects of the Iran-hostage crisis better than you did before. That makes it a worthy film, and an absorbing one.
- 67The Film StageChristian GallichioThe Film StageChristian GallichioBy presenting all sides, Kopple’s film provides objectivity at the expense of immersion, crafting an all-sides look at a well-known period in American foreign policy.
- 63Chicago TribuneKatie WalshChicago TribuneKatie WalshThough the film initially feels like a patriotic tale of a daring mission, this isn't a story of U.S. military triumph, it's one of sorrow.
- 60The New York TimesDevika GirishThe New York TimesDevika GirishThough comprehensive and often stirring, the accounts lack new insight or analytical heft.