Fresh
For those who know the story, Most Dangerous Man puts it in fresh perspective. If you don't, there's probably not a better way to discover it.
Chris Vognar, Dallas Morning News
The Most Dangerous Man in America
Daniel Ellsberg and the Pentagon Papers
2009 · 1h 32m · Not Rated
Documentary
Directed by
Judith Ehrlich
Free account saves your watchlist and ratings.
The Most Dangerous Man in America
Overview
"The Most Dangerous Man in America" is the story of what happens when a former Pentagon insider, armed only with his conscience, steadfast determination, and a file cabinet full of classified documents, decides to challenge an "imperial" presidency – answerable to neither Congress, the press, nor the people – in order to help end the Vietnam War.
Director and cast
- Judith Ehrlich Director
- John Dean as Himself
- Daniel Ellsberg as Self (Narraror)
- Patricia Ellsberg as Self
- Howard Zinn as Self - Historian
- Peter Arnett as Self - Associated Press Correspondent (archive footage)
- Ben Bagdikian as Self - Editor, Washington Post
- Ann Beeson as Self - Associate Legal Director, ACLU
- Robert Ellsberg Cast
- Richard Falk Cast
- Max Frankel Cast
Critics on Rotten Tomatoes
Top critics, in their words
96%
Tomatometer
Fresh
This isn't a dusty chapter of ancient history, but a fresh, exciting story. Ellsberg, who worked as a defense analyst in the government-funded Rand Corp., emerges as a complex and contradictory character.
Colin Covert, Minneapolis Star Tribune
Fresh
For those who lived through the turmoil of Vietnam, and for the generations that have come since, the film is an important document in its own right.
Steven Rea, Philadelphia Inquirer
Fresh
The film is also an exciting cloak-and-dagger thriller.
Joe Williams, St. Louis Post-Dispatch
Fresh
Ehrlich and Goldsmith carve out their own little place in the canon by focusing on the ethical journey of one man who refused to shrug off his own responsibility for the war and atoned for it with a seismic act of civil disobedience.
J. R. Jones, Chicago Reader
More films
The Martha Mitchell Effect (2022)
Crime · Documentary · History · PG
She was once as famous as Jackie O—and then she tried to take down a President. Martha Mitchell was the unlikeliest of whistleblowers: a Republican wife who was discredited by Nixon to keep her quiet. Until now.
- Runtime
- 40m
- Cast
- Martha Mitchell, Richard Nixon, Connie Chung
IMDb
6.6
Rotten Tomatoes
100%
Citizenfour (2014)
Documentary · R
In June 2013, Laura Poitras and reporter Glenn Greenwald flew to Hong Kong for the first of many meetings with Edward Snowden. She brought her camera with her.
- Runtime
- 1h 53m
- Director
- Laura Poitras
- Cast
- Edward Snowden, Glenn Greenwald, Julian Assange
IMDb
8.0
Rotten Tomatoes
96%
Metacritic
88
Cover-Up (2025)
Documentary · History · R
He's devoted his career to uncovering stories the powerful want buried. From My Lai to Abu Ghraib, dig into the life's work of journalist Seymour Hersh.
- Runtime
- 1h 57m
- Director
- Mark Obenhaus, Laura Poitras
- Cast
- Seymour Hersh, Jeff Gerth, David Obst
IMDb
7.4
Rotten Tomatoes
98%
Metacritic
86
My Mom Jayne (2025)
Documentary · TV-MA
Through deeply personal interviews with her siblings and an examination of the photographs, letters, and belongings left behind, Mariska assembles a new portrait of her mother Jayne Mansfield, an extraordinary and complex woman.
- Runtime
- 1h 46m
- Director
- Mariska Hargitay
- Cast
- Jayne Mansfield, Jayne Marie Mansfield, Mickey Hargitay Jr.
IMDb
8.3
Rotten Tomatoes
100%
Metacritic
75
S4: The Bob Lazar Story (2026)
Documentary · 13+
Over 35 years after Bob Lazar's revelations, this documentary exposes secrets of a facility the government still denies. Featuring Lazar's testimony, recreations, and new evidence, it reopens a case that continues to spark global curiosity
- Runtime
- 1h 54m
- Director
- Luigi Vendittelli
- Cast
- Bob Lazar, George Knapp, Gene Huff
IMDb
7.4
The Four Robinsons (1939)
Comedy · N/A
Four friends pretend a cruise to escape their wives and go clubbing, but they are forced to go through face-saving shipwreck, becoming castaways.
- Runtime
- 1h 38m
- Director
- Eduardo García Maroto
- Cast
- Antonio Vico, Mary Santpere, Fernando Rey
IMDb
5.8
La mantilla de Beatriz (1946)
Drama · Romance · N/A
In XVII century Portugal two friends change identities so one of them can escape an unwanted marriage to Beatriz.
- Runtime
- 1h 27m
- Director
- Eduardo García Maroto
- Cast
- Virgílio Teixeira, Margarita Andrey, María Isbert
Comments
Talk about the film with other members