Reviews & Awards

"This film blew me away from the first shot. It is one of the most stunning looking documentaries I've ever seen. So, for elevating the art of observational cinema through sophisticated lensing and an electric color palette, the Cinematography Award for U.S. Documentary goes to Dirty Wars" —Sundance Juror Brett Morgen

Film Review: Dirty Wars
by Rob Nelson

"Filed from the frontlines of the war on terror, documentarian Richard Rowley's astonishingly hard-hitting Dirty Wars renders the investigative work of journalist Jeremy Scahill in the form of a '70s-style conspiracy thriller. A reporter for the Nation, Scahill follows a blood-strewn trail from a remote corner of Afghanistan, where covert night raids have claimed the lives of innocents, to the Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC), a shadowy outfit empowered by the current White House to assassinate those on an ever-expanding 'kill list,' including at least one American. This jaw-dropping, persuasively researched pic has the power to pry open government lockboxes."

Dirty Wars: Sundance Review
by John DeFore

"Bottom line: A strong filmmaking voice turns already disturbing material into a hot doc."

"...[T]he film's narrative drive offers a compelling package for viewers numbed by one news report after another about civilian deaths and secret hit lists. Its tough investigative tone and surprisingly stylish photography enhance cinematic appeal for a doc that merits theatrical exposure."

'Dirty Wars' Documentary Wins Praise at Sundance Debut
by Marcy Medina

"Journalists are trained to keep themselves out of the story, but some can’t help become a part of it. In one of the most well-received documentaries at the Sundance Film Festival, Dirty Wars, Jeremy Scahill is both narrator and subject of one of the most incendiary stories in recent history. Directed, shot and edited by fellow war journalist and filmmaker Richard Rowley, Dirty Wars follows Scahill, national security correspondent for The Nation, as he reports on the U.S.’ covert war on terror, which according to the film has seen thousands added to the U.S. military’s 'kill list,' and elite forces that operate in the shadows."

Dirty Wars Review
By Germain Lussier

"Dirty Wars is a focused, fascinating and frightening look at war in the 21st century, and a film you’re sure not to forget."

A True-Life Crime Thriller About America's Covert Wars
By Erica Abeel, The Huffington Post

"Dirty Wars is a game-changing, mind-blowing film.... Dirty Wars assumes the tantalizing shape of a mystery thriller as compelling as any feature film."

Official Selection of True/False Film Fest 2013