Guerrilla: The Taking of Patty Hearst (2004)

NEUTRAL

Various

88%

2004, Documentary, 1h 29m

RT Critics’ Score: 89% (UNBIASED)
RT Audience Score: 83%
Awards & Nominations: NA

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Critics Consensus

Guerilla is a riveting documentary that chronicles in enlightening fashion the 1974 kidnapping of heiress Patty Hearst

Audience Consensus

Guerrilla: The Taking of Patty Hearst is a documentary that will make you feel like you’re living in the 70s. It’s a wild ride that will leave you questioning everything you thought you knew about the SLA and Patty Hearst. The film does an excellent job of piecing together the events of the kidnapping and the aftermath, and it’s fascinating to see how the media played a role in shaping the public’s perception of the situation. Overall, it’s a must-watch for anyone interested in true crime or counter-culture history. Plus, who doesn’t love a good old-fashioned heist story?

Storyline

February 4, 1974, Patty Hearst, granddaughter of William Randolph Heart, was kidnapped by the Symbionese Liberation Army (SLA), who first demanded a prisoner swap for Hearst, then, as it failed, demanded $6 million worth of food for the poor of the Bay Area.

Production Company(ies)

Distributor
Magnolia Pictures

Release Type

Filming Location(s)

MPAA / Certificate
Not Rated

Year of Release
2005

Technical Specs

Color:

Color
Sound mix:

Dolby
Aspect ratio:

1.85 : 1
Runtime:

1h 29m
Language(s):

English
Country of origin:

United States
Release date:

Release Date (Theaters): Nov 26, 2004 Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Sep 27, 2005

Genre(s)
Documentary

Keyword(s)
documentary, kidnapping, Patty Hearst, Symbionese Liberation Army, Stockholm Syndrome, Robert Stone, Timothy Findley, Michael Bortin, Nick Fraser, Gary Lionelli, Magnolia Pictures, English, $101.4K, 1h 29m, reviewed by Owen Gleiberman, Roger Moore, Terry Lawson, Tom Long, Moira MacDonald, Robert Denerstein, Miles Fielder, Louis Proyect, Matthew Turner, Anton Bitel, Lawrence Toppman, Rich Cline, directed by Robert Stone, produced by Robert Stone, written by N/A, genre: documentary, MPAA rating: N/A, box office performance, budget, producer: Robert Stone, actor: Timothy Findley, actor: Michael Bortin, critic: Owen Gleiberman, critic: Roger Moore, critic: Terry Lawson, critic: Tom Long, critic: Moira MacDonald, critic: Robert Denerstein, critic: Miles Fielder, critic: Louis Proyect, critic: Matthew Turner, critic: Anton Bitel, critic: Lawrence Toppman, critic: Rich Cline

Box Office Details

Worldwide gross: $105,054
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $160,101
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 2,968
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 17,459

US/Canada gross: $105,054
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): $160,101
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 2,583
US/Canada opening weekend: $22,444
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): $34,204
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): 2,337

Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): NA
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): NA
Production budget ranking: NA
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): NA
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): NA
ROI to date (est.): NA
ROI ranking: NA

Cast & Crew

Timothy Findley

Michael Bortin

Robert Stone

Nick Fraser

Gary Lionelli

Self

Director

Producer

Executive Producer

Timothy Findley – Self
Michael Bortin – Self
Robert Stone – Director, Producer
Nick Fraser – Executive Producer
Gary Lionelli – Original Music

Robert Stone

Director

Writer

Producer

Director(s)
Robert Stone

Writer(s)
NA

Producer(s)
Robert Stone

Film Festivals

Awards & Nominations
NA

Academy Awards

Top Reviews

Owen Gleiberman

Roger Moore

Terry Lawson

Tom Long

Moira MacDonald

Entertainment Weekly

Orlando Sentinel

Detroit Free Press

Detroit News

Seattle Times

GUERRILLA: THE TAKING OF PATTY HEARST
All Critics (46) | Top Critics (18) | Fresh (41) | Rotten (5)
A gripping documentary that uses voluminous period evidence … to brilliantly reconstruct the entire freak event.

September 7, 2011 | Rating: A

Owen Gleiberman
Entertainment Weekly
TOP CRITIC
May 13, 2009 | Rating: 4/5

Roger Moore
Orlando Sentinel
TOP CRITIC
A mostly compelling and exceedingly fair-minded look back at the case.

March 25, 2005 | Rating: 3/4

Terry Lawson
Detroit Free Press
TOP CRITIC
Fine as far as it goes — a worthy lesson in counter-culture history and the rise of media hysteria.

March 25, 2005 | Rating: B-

Tom Long
Detroit News
TOP CRITIC
A meticulous and often fascinating reconstruction of a chaotic time.

January 28, 2005 | Rating: 3/4

Moira MacDonald
Seattle Times
TOP CRITIC
January 14, 2005 | Rating: B+

Robert Denerstein
Denver Rocky Mountain News
TOP CRITIC
By rejecting the view of the SLA as folk heroes, Stone presents a compelling document of a misguided political movement that epitomizes the butt end of the protest movement come the mid-1970s.

April 24, 2019 | Rating: 4/5

Miles Fielder
The List
Urban terrorism inspired by Robin Hood.

January 15, 2006

Louis Proyect
rec.arts.movies.reviews
A gripping, thought-provoking film that works as both a thriller and a social document.

July 31, 2005 | Rating: 4/5

Matthew Turner
ViewLondon
June 10, 2005 | Rating: 8/10

Anton Bitel
Movie Gazette
British director Robert Stone takes a dispassionate look at this circus, and his retelling of events makes the situation more complicated than I remembered.

April 8, 2005 | Rating: 3/4

Lawrence Toppman
Charlotte Observer
The footage is astonishing, revealing the events of 30 years ago and some scary truths about where the world is today.

April 6, 2005 | Rating: 3.5/5

Rich Cline
Shadows on the Wall…

Plot
February 4, 1974, Patty Hearst, granddaughter of William Randolph Heart, was kidnapped by the Symbionese Liberation Army (SLA), who first demanded a prisoner swap for Hearst, then, as it failed, demanded $6 million worth of food for the poor of the Bay Area.

Trivia