The Dissident
Seen it?2020 | 119 min | Documentary
Sunday Safe Betearly ratingWhy it’s a Sunday Safe Bet
Critics loved it (96% on Rotten Tomatoes), though it had a box office flop and almost no lasting buzz. A safe bet when you want something reliable.
Based on critics, audiences, awards, box office and buzz. Details below.Is it for you?
- Who'll love it
- Made for the curious. Critics rate it higher than audiences do, so it rewards patience more than it chases thrills.
- The mood
- Eye-opening.
- The pace
- Moves along nicely, at 1 hr 59 min.
- What might put you off
- Rated PG-13. Probably too much for younger kids.
- Audiences were cooler on it than critics.
When Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi disappears after entering Saudi Arabia’s consulate in Istanbul, his fiancée and dissidents around the world are left to piece together the clues to a brutal murder and expose a global cover up perpetrated by the very country he loved.
How it earned its rating
- CriticsVery strong
96% on Rotten Tomatoes, 82 on Metacritic
- AudiencesSolid
7.3 out of 10
- AwardsSolid
Won 1 WGA Award: Writers Guild of America Awards: Best Documentary Screenplay. Also nominated for 2 BAFTAs. Plus 2 other awards.
- Box office & staying powerWeak
$93K worldwide; interest faded quickly after launch
- Buzz & cultural impactWeak
About 26K people sought it out in the past year
Trailer
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Cast & crew
Directed by Bryan Fogel
- Jamal KhashoggiSelf (archive footage)
- Omar AbdulazizSelf - Interviewee
- Prince Mohammed bin Salman al SaudSelf (Footage)
- İrfan FidanSelf - Public Prosecutor
- Agnès CallamardSelf - Interviewee
- Hatice CengizSelf - Interviewee
- John O. BrennanSelf - Interviewee
- Fahrettin AltunSelf - Interviewee
- Anthony J. FerranteSelf - Interviewee
- Abdulhamit GulSelf - Interviewee