--- title: "The Dissident: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/film/the-dissident/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/film/the-dissident" critics_score: 77 critics_reviews: 16 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." --- # The Dissident (2020): what the critics said Critics' score 77 from 16 reviews: 12 positive, 4 mixed, 0 negative. Most critics rate Bryan Fogel’s documentary highly: twelve positive reviews, four mixed, none negative. The praise clusters on the investigation itself. Reviewers describe the reconstruction of Jamal Khashoggi’s murder as gripping, and several say it moves with the pace of a thriller, with The Hollywood Reporter crediting the editing for pulling the viewer through the evidence. The strand following the activist Omar Abdulaziz and Saudi digital surveillance is singled out repeatedly. Empire and Sight and Sound also value the human portrait, particularly the detail given to Khashoggi’s relationship with Cengiz. The reservations are about shape rather than substance. The AV Club finds the retelling repetitive and the pacing slack; IndieWire thinks the filmmaking dry and stilted; the Los Angeles Times faults the score, the editing and the computer animation. Vulture goes furthest, calling it unfocused, with too many threads and too little of Khashoggi himself. The spread is narrow, running from warm to merely approving, and nobody argues against seeing it. ## Radio Times — Andrew Collins Rating 5/5. Collins gives the documentary a five-star rating, presenting it as a compelling investigation into Khashoggi’s killing and the campaign to suppress the truth. The review highlights Fogel’s attention to the propaganda-driven war on truth and the dissidents working to expose it. [Read the review](https://www.radiotimes.com/movie-guide/b-7i7oob/the-dissident/) ## Variety — Owen Gleiberman Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 24 January 2020. Festival review. Gleiberman calls the documentary riveting and a moving testament to Khashoggi’s courage. He praises its gripping investigation into the murder and the forces behind it. [Read the review](https://variety.com/2020/film/reviews/the-dissident-review-jamal-khashoggi-1203478959/) ## The Hollywood Reporter — Todd McCarthy Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 24 January 2020. Festival review. McCarthy calls the documentary a first-rate, grimly riveting account of a political tragedy. He praises its vigorous, comprehensive investigation and thriller-like editing for drawing viewers into the evidence. [Read the review](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/dissident-review-1272803/) ## The i Paper — Geoffrey Macnab Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 4 March 2021. Macnab finds the documentary dramatic, heart-rending, and clear-sighted. He praises Fogel for turning exhaustive research and abundant material into a compelling account. [Read the review](https://inews.co.uk/culture/film/the-dissident-review-heart-rending-clear-sighted-documentary-death-of-jamal-khashoggi-898160) ## Empire — Ian Freer Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 25 February 2021. Freer finds the documentary a compelling, rigorous investigation and a forceful case for free speech. He especially praises its portrait of Khashoggi as a warm, genial, human figure. [Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/the-dissident/) ## Sight and Sound Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 4 March 2021. The critic finds the documentary gripping and emotionally devastating. They praise its human focus, especially the intimate details of Khashoggi and Cengiz’s relationship, amid its geopolitical analysis. [Read the review](https://www.bfi.org.uk/sight-and-sound/reviews/dissident-bryan-fogel-jamal-khashoggi-assassination-documentary-saudi-rogue-terror) ## Time Out — Phil de Semlyen Rating 4/5. 19 January 2021. The review finds the documentary gripping and says it unfolds with the pace of a thriller. It singles out its investigation into Jamal Khashoggi’s fate and Saudi Arabia’s role. [Read the review](https://www.timeout.com/movies/the-dissident) ## IndieWire — Eric Kohn Rating B. 25 January 2020. Festival review. The critic calls the documentary urgent and essential, while noting that its filmmaking can feel dry and stilted. He praises its clear account of Khashoggi’s death and the broader context of Saudi efforts to silence dissent. [Read the review](https://www.indiewire.com/criticism/movies/the-dissident-review-jamal-khashoggi-sundance-1202205926/) ## The AV Club — Noel Murray Rating B. 5 January 2021. Murray finds the documentary informative and ambitious but ultimately good rather than great. He praises its account of Omar Abdulaziz’s resistance and its broader focus on authoritarian power, while faulting the repetitive retelling and slack pacing. [Read the review](https://www.avclub.com/the-dissident-brings-a-layered-approach-to-the-story-of-1845992141) ## The Guardian — Peter Bradshaw Fi1m's normalised score 75/100 (inferred from the text). 5 March 2021. Bradshaw finds the documentary gripping, forceful and illuminating, even though it reveals little substantially new. He praises its clear, lively account of the evidence and details surrounding Khashoggi’s murder. [Read the review](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2021/mar/05/the-dissident-review-jamal-khashoggi-saudi-author-murder-documentary) ## Los Angeles Times — Robert Abele Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 24 December 2020. Abele finds the documentary’s account of Khashoggi’s murder impactful and important, despite its familiar details. He praises its focus on Omar Abdulaziz and digital surveillance, while faulting the score, editing, and computer animation. [Read the review](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/movies/story/2020-12-24/dissident-documentary-review-jamal-khashoggi) ## Screen Daily — Anthony Kaufman Fi1m's normalised score 64/100 (inferred from the text). 25 January 2020. Festival review. The visible page identifies this as a Sundance review but does not reveal the critic’s verdict. Its standfirst frames the film as an exploration of Jamal Khashoggi’s murder, with no praise or complaint accessible. [Read the review](https://www.screendaily.com/reviews/the-dissident-sundance-review/5146495.article) ## The New York Times Fi1m's normalised score 64/100 (inferred from the text). 24 December 2020. The article body is unavailable, so its verdict cannot be determined. No praise or complaint from the critic can be verified. [Read the review](https://www.nytimes.com/2020/12/24/movies/dissident-review-jamal-khashoggi.html) ## Vulture — Bilge Ebiri Fi1m's normalised score 60/100 (inferred from the text). 8 January 2021. Ebiri finds the documentary powerful but unfocused, with too many narrative threads and too little attention to Khashoggi himself. He praises the murder investigation as particularly riveting, especially its procedural detail and the Turkish authorities’ outrage. [Read the review](https://www.vulture.com/article/film-review-the-dissident-and-the-murder-of-jamal-khashoggi.html) ## HeyUGuys — Jack Hawkins Fi1m's normalised score 75/100 (inferred from the text). The critic calls the documentary important and an essential call to action, despite noting some omissions in its portrait of Khashoggi. They praise its clear account of the forces behind his murder and its continuing impact. [Read the review](https://www.heyuguys.com/the-dissident-review/) ## The Playlist Fi1m's normalised score 64/100 (inferred from the text). 23 December 2020. The page identifies itself as a review of Bryan Fogel’s The Dissident. Its verdict and specific praise or criticism cannot be determined because the article is blocked. [Read the review](https://theplaylist.net/the-dissident-review-20201223/) --- © 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/the-dissident.md