The Interrupters (2011)
91%RT Audience Score: 82%
Awards & Nominations: 10 wins & 17 nominations
Impeccably crafted and edited, The Interrupters is a tough and honest documentary about street violence that truly has the power to inspire change.
The Interrupters is a documentary that will make you laugh, cry, and want to join the fight against street violence. Ameena Matthews, Cobe Williams, and Eddie Bocanegra are the ultimate badasses turned good, and their work with CeaseFire is nothing short of inspiring. The film doesn’t rely on narration or interviews, but instead lets the raw footage speak for itself. And let me tell you, it speaks volumes. From the heart-wrenching stories of families affected by violence to the moments of hope and triumph, The Interrupters is a must-see for anyone who cares about making a difference in their community. So grab some tissues and get ready to be moved.
Production Company(ies)
Walt Disney Animation Studios, Walt Disney Pictures,
Distributor
Cinema Guild
Release Type
Theatrical
Filming Location(s)
Illinois, USA
MPAA / Certificate
Unrated
Year of Release
2011
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Color:Color
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Sound mix:Dolby
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Aspect ratio:1.85 : 1
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Runtime:2h 5m
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Language(s):English
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Country of origin:United States
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Release date:Release Date (Theaters): Jul 29, 2011 Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Feb 14, 2012
Genre(s)
Documentary
Keyword(s)
Worldwide gross: $286,457
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $377,120
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 2,808
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 41,125
US/Canada gross: $282,448
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): $371,842
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 2,410
US/Canada opening weekend: $7,920
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): $10,427
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): 2,694
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
Ameena Matthews – Self
Gary Slutkin – Self
Kenneth Oliver – Self
Spencer Leak – Self
Fernando Bocanegra – Self
Steve James – Director, Producer
Alex Kotlowitz – Producer, Writer
Director(s)
Steve James
Writer(s)
Alex Kotlowitz
Producer(s)
Steve James, Alex Kotlowitz
Film Festivals
Awards & Nominations
10 wins & 17 nominations
Academy Awards
All Critics (93) | Top Critics (39) | Fresh (92) | Rotten (1)
Ameena Matthews, Cobe Williams and Eddie Bocanegra used to instigate Chicago street violence. Now they live for nipping it in the bud, block by treacherous block.
December 8, 2011 | Rating: A-
Chris Vognar
Dallas Morning News
TOP CRITIC
Where James’s film excels is as direct experiential cinema — without narration, onscreen interviews or acknowledgment of the presence of the camera — it is an intensely dramatic window into a world.
October 7, 2011 | Rating: 3/4
Liam Lacey
Globe and Mail
TOP CRITIC
A sobering but not hopeless look at how the Windy City is attempting to turn around a rising tide of street shooting, through the work of a unique group called CeaseFire.
October 6, 2011 | Rating: 3.5/4
Peter Howell
Toronto Star
TOP CRITIC
It’s a year in the life and death of the fight against the streetwise status quo, and James’ doc brings it all horrifically home.
September 30, 2011 | Rating: 3.5/5
Marc Savlov
Austin Chronicle
TOP CRITIC
There’s no doubt The Interrupters do some good; but there’s also no doubt the problem they’re facing is enormous.
September 16, 2011 | Rating: B
Tom Long
Detroit News
TOP CRITIC
Realistically inspiring and, thankfully, not overly dramatized.
September 16, 2011 | Rating: 3/4
Stephanie Merry
Washington Post
TOP CRITIC
It’s a heart wrenching tale of a few brave souls who take it upon themselves to step deep into this world … and do what they can to prevent further tragedy from happening.
August 3, 2020 | Rating: A+
Allen Almachar
The MacGuffin
A one-woman peace squad, [Ameena Matthews] burns up the screen whenever she’s on it.
February 28, 2020
B. Ruby Rich
Film Quarterly
The Interrupters makes the case that if you want less killing, you need, not more guns, but more neighbors.
September 16, 2019
Noah Berlatsky
Splice Today
This is essential, issue-based documentary filmmaking without the usual ham-fisted histrionics.
August 5, 2019 | Rating: 3.5/4
Mattie Lucas
From the Front Row
Ironically, the power of Steve James and Alex Kotlowitz’s incredible documentary is the fact that it’s unmediated.
January 9, 2019
Stephen Saito
Moveable Fest
The cameras are allowed access to places and moments that are so shocking in their vulnerability that it’s a wonder the filmmakers were allowed to shoot there in the first place.
September 28, 2017 | Rating: 4/5
Yasmin Shehab
Cairo360…
Plot
The Interrupters tells the moving and surprising stories of three Violence Interrupters who try to protect their Chicago communities from the violence they once employed. From acclaimed director Steve James and bestselling author Alex Kotlowitz, this film is an unusually intimate journey into the stubborn, persistence of violence in our cities. Shot over the course of a year out of Kartemquin Films, The Interrupters captures a period in Chicago when it became a national symbol for the violence in our cities. During that period, the city was besieged by high-profile incidents, most notably the brutal beating of Derrion Albert, a Chicago High School student, whose death was caught on videotape. The film’s main subjects work for an innovative organization, CeaseFire, which believes that the spread of violence mimics the spread of infectious diseases, and so the treatment should be similar: go after the most infected, and stop the infection at its source. The singular mission of the “Violence Interrupters” – who have credibility on the streets because of their own personal histories
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
The Interrupters features former gang members and convicts who work as mediators to curb violence in their Chicago neighborhoods.
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