A Compassionate Spy
Film poster
Directed bySteve James
Written bySteve James
Produced by
  • Mark Mitten
  • Dave Lindorff
  • Steve James
CinematographyTom Bergmann
Edited bySteve James
Production
companies
Distributed byMagnolia Pictures (United States)[1]
Release dates
  • September 2, 2022 (2022-09-02) (Venice Film Festival)
  • August 4, 2023 (2023-08-04) (United States)
CountryUnited States
Box office$34,502[2][3]

A Compassionate Spy is a 2022 American documentary film written and directed by Steve James. It premiered out of competition at the 79th edition of the Venice Film Festival. The film was released in the United States on August 4, 2023.

Plot

Through a long interview with the subject and his wife, archive footage and some dramatic reenactments, the film tells the story of Manhattan Project physicist and Soviet Union spy Theodore Hall.

Release

The film had its world premiere at the premiered out of competition at the 79th Venice International Film Festival on September 2, 2022.[4] It was later screened at various festivals including the Telluride Film Festival,[5] the Chicago International Film Festival,[6] and the Palm Springs International Film Festival.[7] The film was released in the United States by Magnolia Pictures on August 4, 2023.[8]

Reception

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 81% of 47 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 7/10. The website's consensus reads: "A Compassionate Spy's personal approach to its real-life story makes the end result mostly compelling despite an uncritical tone that verges on hagiography."[9] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 72 out of 100, based on 20 critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews.[10]

The reenactments were criticized by Guy Lodge from Variety, describing it as "unnecessary", and making the film "more televisual than in James's best work".[11] David Ehrlich from IndieWire wrote that the reenactments were a "miscalculation that keeps [the film] at arm’s length."[12]

References

  1. ↑ Scott Roxborough (February 15, 2023). "Berlin: Magnolia Takes Steve James' Doc A Compassionate Spy for North America". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved February 16, 2023.
  2. ↑ "A Compassionate Spy". Box Office Mojo. Nash Information Services, LLC.
  3. ↑ "A Compassionate Spy". The Numbers. Nash Information Services, LLC.
  4. ↑ Fienberg, Daniel (September 2, 2022). "'A Compassionate Spy' Review: Steve James Doc Is a Nuanced Portrait of Love and Espionage". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved February 4, 2023.
  5. ↑ Ravindran, Manori (September 2, 2022). "'Life Itself' Director Steve James on Uncovering a Shocking Nuclear Secret in 'A Compassionate Spy'". Variety. Retrieved February 4, 2023.
  6. ↑ Rush, Mariah (October 7, 2022). "Chicago film festival launches with doc that profiles (but never judges) a leaker of secrets to the Soviets". Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved February 4, 2023.
  7. ↑ Wissot, Lauren (January 6, 2023). ""If We Wanted To Visualize This at All, We'd Have to Do It Ourselves": Steve James on A Compassionate Spy". Filmmaker Magazine. Retrieved February 4, 2023.
  8. ↑ The Associated Press (July 1, 2023). "Summer movie season is in full swing. Here's what's coming through Labor Day". ABC News. Retrieved July 8, 2023.
  9. ↑ "A Compassionate Spy". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved September 28, 2023.
  10. ↑ "A Compassionate Spy". Metacritic. Retrieved September 28, 2023.
  11. ↑ Lodge, Guy (September 2, 2022). "'A Compassionate Spy' Review: A Gripping Biography of a Manhattan Project Outlier". Variety. Retrieved February 4, 2023.
  12. ↑ Ehrlich, David (September 2, 2022). "'A Compassionate Spy' Review: Steve James Explores a Marriage Built on Nuclear Secrets". IndieWire. Retrieved February 4, 2023.
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