Crude (2009)
91%RT Audience Score: 85%
Awards & Nominations: Won 1 Oscar
25 wins & 37 nominations total
Crude, a documentary about the environmental impact of oil exploitation, may not be groundbreaking, but it is a necessary addition to the angry eco-doc subgenre. The film provides a human perspective, showing the human cost of each drop of oil we consume. While the structure may be a little jumbled, the footage and images of the people and terrain affected back up the film’s rhetoric. Director Joe Berlinger’s decision to remain unseen and unheard on camera is a welcome change from many recent documentaries with an activist bent. Overall, Crude is a gripping and powerful documentary that will leave you questioning the true cost of our reliance on oil.
Crude is like a courtroom thriller, but instead of a murderer, the villain is a monstrous oil company. The documentary may not be groundbreaking, but it’s a worthy addition to the angry eco-doc subgenre. It’s a gripping and powerful film that shows the human cost of each drop of oil we consume. The Ecuadorians’ fight continues, and their courage is not to be doubted. Even Trudie Styler emerges with credit for supporting them. So, if you want to learn about the environmental impact of oil exploitation and the human perspective that prevails, Crude is the documentary for you.
Production Company(ies)
Film Four UK Film Council Darlow Smithson Productions,
Distributor
First Run
Release Type
Filming Location(s)
Old Royal Naval College, King William Walk, Greenwich, London, Greater London, England, UK
MPAA / Certificate
Rated PG-13 for some violence and thematic elements
Year of Release
2009
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Color:Color
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Sound mix:Dolby Atmos Dolby Digital Dolby Surround 7.1 DTS
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Aspect ratio:1.85 : 1
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Runtime:1h 44m
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Language(s):English, French
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Country of origin:United States
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Release date:Release Date (Theaters): Sep 9, 2009 Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Feb 23, 2010
Genre(s)
Documentary
Keyword(s)
documentary, environmental disaster, oil industry, Ecuador, legal case, big business, Joe Berlinger, directed by Joe Berlinger, produced by Joe Berlinger, Michael Bonfiglio, J.R DeLeon, Richard Stratton, written by Joe Berlinger, reviewed by Joshua Rothkopf, Dan Jolin, Kevin Maher, Peter Bradshaw, Tim Robey, Olly Zanetti, David Harris, Laura Hiros, Nora Lee Mandel, Emanuel Levy, Ian Buckwalter, Rich Cline, starring Pablo Fajardo, Kent Robertson, Amy Goodman, Rafael Correa, Hugo Chavez, Trudie Styler, genre: documentary, MPAA rating: not rated, box office performance: $170.3K, budget: not available, critic names: Joshua Rothkopf, Dan Jolin, Kevin Maher, Peter Bradshaw, Tim Robey, Olly Zanetti, David Harris, Laura Hiros, Nora Lee Mandel, Emanuel Levy, Ian Buckwalter, Rich Cline, producer names: Joe Berlinger, Michael Bonfiglio, J.R DeLeon, Richard Stratton
Worldwide gross: $233,503,234
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $253,959,687
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 576
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 27,694,622
US/Canada gross: $86,103,234
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): $93,646,456
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 780
US/Canada opening weekend: $21,496,997
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): $23,380,278
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): 574
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): $100,000,000
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): $108,760,672
Production budget ranking: 354
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): $58,567,622
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): $86,631,393
ROI to date (est.): 52%
ROI ranking: 1,139
Kent Robertson
Amy Goodman
Rafael Correa
Hugo Chavez
Trudie Styler
– Self
Director: Joe Berlinger
Producers: Joe Berlinger, Michael Bonfiglio, J.R. DeLeon, Richard Stratton
Director(s)
Joe Berlinger
Writer(s)
NA
Producer(s)
Joe Berlinger, Michael Bonfiglio, J.R. DeLeon, Richard Stratton
Film Festivals
Awards & Nominations
Won 1 Oscar
25 wins & 37 nominations total
Academy Awards
All Critics (65) | Top Critics (30) | Fresh (62) | Rotten (3)
November 17, 2011 | Rating: 3/5
Joshua Rothkopf
Time Out
TOP CRITIC
Not exactly genre-bending innovation or anything but a decent documentary about an important episode in history of oil company exploitation.
January 15, 2010 | Rating: 3/5
Dan Jolin
Empire Magazine
TOP CRITIC
Although the real-life outcome may be known to some, Crude still, at its best, unfolds like a courtroom thriller.
January 15, 2010 | Rating: 4/5
Kevin Maher
Times (UK)
TOP CRITIC
The Ecuadorians’ fight continues, and their courage isn’t to be doubted. Even the much-mocked, much-maligned campaigner Trudie Styler emerges with credit for supporting them.
January 15, 2010 | Rating: 4/5
Peter Bradshaw
Guardian
TOP CRITIC
Structurally a little jumbled, it’s still a worthy addition to the angry eco-doc subgenre.
January 15, 2010 | Rating: 3/5
Tim Robey
Daily Telegraph (UK)
TOP CRITIC
Gripping and powerful, Crude is documentary journalism as it needs to be. Blissful ignorance stirred with bland apathy is no longer an option.
January 15, 2010 | Rating: 4/5
Olly Zanetti
Little White Lies
TOP CRITIC
Though one-sided and all too happy to assail an easy target such as a monstrous oil company, Crude backs up its rhetoric by providing footage and images of the people and terrain affected…
October 11, 2019 | Rating: 3.5/5
David Harris
Spectrum Culture
Yes, Crude talks about the environmental impact of oil exploitation, but it is not just another documentary about this subject… it is the human perspective that prevails, showing the human cost of each drop of oil we consume. [Full review in Spanish]
March 16, 2018 | Rating: 4/5
Laura Hiros
Rincón de cine
Well shows how a canny public relations campaign is a key part of legal strategy to even up the odds in the court of world opinion. . .But does not get below the surface.
January 1, 2016 | Rating: 6/10
Nora Lee Mandel
Maven’s Nest
Another interesting film from Joe Berlinger
August 17, 2011 | Rating: B
Emanuel Levy
EmanuelLevy.Com
In a welcome change from many recent documentaries with an activist bent, the director is never seen on camera, never heard on the soundtrack, and does precious little overt editorializing.
July 4, 2010 | Rating: 6.1/10
Ian Buckwalter
DCist
This intense documentary tells a hugely important story that’s packed with compelling characters and situations. Although a repetitive structure and a sense of agonising futility conspire to undermine the vital lessons it has to teach us.
January 15, 2010 | Rating: 3.5/5
Rich Cline
Shadows on the Wall…
Plot
Before she becomes Cruella de Vil, teenage Estella has a dream. She wishes to become a fashion designer, having been gifted with talent, innovation, and ambition all in equal measures. But life seems intent on making sure her dreams never come true. Having wound up penniless and orphaned in London at 12, 10 years later Estella runs wild through the city streets with her best friends and partners-in-(petty)-crime, Horace and Jasper, two amateur thieves. When a chance encounter vaults Estella into the world of the young rich and famous, however, she begins to question the existence she’s built for herself in London and wonders whether she might, indeed, be destined for more after all.
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
The documentary Crude features appearances by Trudie Styler, Amy Goodman, Rafael Correa, and Hugo Chavez.
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