--- title: "Cover-Up: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/film/cover-up/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/film/cover-up" critics_score: 79 critics_reviews: 15 licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # Cover-Up (2025): what the critics said Critics' score 79 from 15 reviews: 13 positive, 2 mixed, 0 negative. Most critics welcome Cover-Up as a compelling portrait of Seymour Hersh and a forceful reminder of investigative journalism’s value. Praise centres on his tenacity, vivid presence and willingness to challenge powerful institutions, with the account of his My Lai reporting drawing particular admiration. The reviews also credit the filmmakers’ use of archival footage and reporting materials with showing how investigations develop and how concealment recurs across decades of American wrongdoing. Reservations concern how thoroughly the film questions its subject, alongside an occasionally overwhelming pace and less assured later sections. The AV Club finds the tensions between Hersh and the filmmakers insufficiently explored, while The Wrap values the moments when Poitras challenges his blind spots but sees competing directorial perspectives. The spread is chiefly between enthusiasm and qualified approval, not outright rejection; the two entries counted as mixed have no accessible verdict to clarify their reservations. ## Little White Lies — Sophie Monks Kaufman Rating 4/5/5. 5 December 2025. The review finds the documentary scintillating and worthy of Seymour Hersh, though its fast pace can feel overwhelming. It praises Hersh’s vivid personality and the filmmakers’ skillful use of his source materials and archival footage. [Read the review](https://lwlies.com/reviews/cover-up) ## Slant Magazine — Marshall Shaffer Rating 3.5/4. 6 September 2025. Festival review. Shaffer sees the film as a sweeping, tempered tribute to investigative journalism and its continuing importance. He praises the filmmakers’ respectful, evidence-grounded portrayal of Hersh’s reporting and its landmark revelations. [Read the review](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/cover-up-review-seymour-hersh-laura-poitras/) ## The Observer — Wendy Ide Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 6 December 2025. Ide finds the documentary a compelling and inspiring portrait of Seymour Hersh. She praises its attention to his tenacious investigations and to journalism’s power to shape history and policy. [Read the review](https://observer.co.uk/culture/film/article/wendy-ides-pick-of-other-films-eternity-prime-minister-cover-up-and-more) ## IndieWire — David Ehrlich Rating B+. 29 August 2025. Festival review. Ehrlich calls the documentary brilliant, damning, and urgently relevant in connecting decades of American wrongdoing. He praises its archival material and its use of Seymour Hersh’s reporting to reveal recurring patterns of concealment. [Read the review](https://www.indiewire.com/criticism/movies/cover-up-review-laura-poitras-seymour-hersh-documentary-1235147811/) ## The AV Club — Katarina Docalovich Rating B+. 19 December 2025. The review calls the documentary a vital reminder of investigative journalism’s importance and a thrilling watch. It praises Hersh’s willingness to confront disturbing truths, while noting the film does not fully explore tensions between him and the filmmakers. [Read the review](https://www.avclub.com/cover-up-review) ## The Hollywood Reporter — Sheri Linden Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 29 August 2025. Festival review. Linden finds the documentary exhilarating and an urgent reminder of the value of informed dissent, though its later sections sometimes feel equivocal. She especially praises its treatment of Hersh’s My Lai reporting and the first-person testimony about Abu Ghraib. [Read the review](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/cover-up-review-laura-poitras-sharp-doc-seymour-hersh-1236344685/) ## Variety — Owen Gleiberman Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 29 August 2025. Festival review. Gleiberman finds the documentary enthralling and argues that fearless investigative reporting remains essential. He praises its account of how Hersh uncovered the My Lai massacre and other stories despite institutional resistance. [Read the review](https://variety.com/2025/film/reviews/cover-up-review-seymour-hershlaura-poitras-1236500545/) ## The Guardian — Peter Bradshaw Fi1m's normalised score 75/100 (inferred from the text). 3 December 2025. Bradshaw presents the documentary as a compelling portrait of a dogged, nonconformist journalist. He praises Hersh’s shoe-leather reporting and willingness to challenge powerful institutions. [Read the review](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2025/dec/03/cover-up-review-documentary-seymour-hersh-journalist) ## Screen Daily — Nikki Baughan Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 29 August 2025. Festival review. The review presents the film as a fascinating portrait of journalist Seymour Hersh. It praises its account of his reporting on Vietnam, Watergate and Abu Ghraib. [Read the review](https://www.screendaily.com/reviews/cover-up-review-laura-poitras-co-directs-fascinating-portrait-of-us-journalist-seymour-hersh/5208337.article) ## Sight and Sound — BFI Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 5 December 2025. The review is positive but acknowledges the film’s nostalgia and limits, finding that it renews belief in journalism’s power to expose wrongdoing. It praises Poitras’s interviewing and the documentary’s evocative use of Hersh’s reporting materials and archival images. [Read the review](https://www.bfi.org.uk/sight-and-sound/reviews/cover-powerful-doc-reporter-seymour-hersh-chronicles-decades-american-corruption) ## RogerEbert.com Fi1m's normalised score 64/100 (inferred from the text). The page appears to be a review of the specified film, but its verdict cannot be determined from the accessible content. No specific praise or criticism is available to summarize. [Read the review](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/cover-up-netflix-documentary-film-review-2025) ## The New York Times Fi1m's normalised score 64/100 (inferred from the text). 18 December 2025. The page could not be accessed, so the critic’s verdict is unavailable. Any specific praise or criticism is likewise unknown. [Read the review](https://www.nytimes.com/2025/12/18/movies/cover-up-review-seymour-hersh.html) ## Deadline — Matthew Carey Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 29 August 2025. Festival review. The critic finds the documentary riveting and insightful, while acknowledging that some viewers may find Hersh’s answers about anonymous sources incomplete. The film’s probing portrait of his reporting methods and the tension around his notebooks stand out for praise. [Read the review](https://deadline.com/2025/08/cover-up-review-venice-film-festival-1236501078/) ## The Skinny — Carmen Paddock Rating ★★★★. 1 December 2025. The review finds the documentary incomplete but powerful in exposing the failings of US journalism. It praises Hersh’s compelling presence and the film’s use of archival footage to illuminate the stories he investigated. [Read the review](https://www.theskinny.co.uk/film/new-releases/cover-up-2025) ## The Wrap Fi1m's normalised score 76/100 (inferred from the text). 29 August 2025. Festival review. The critic finds the documentary absorbing and valuable, though at times pulled between its directors’ perspectives. They praise it most when Poitras challenges Hersh and probes his blind spots. [Read the review](https://www.thewrap.com/cover-up-review-seymour-hersh-documentary/) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/film/cover-up.md