Medium Cool
A hard-edged television reporter confronts the collusion between news media and law enforcement amid the explosive protests of 1968 Chicago.
Overview
A hard-hitting exploration of journalism and the chaos of political unrest.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Brisk
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Graphic
- angry
- urgent
- paranoid
- political film night
- cinephile viewing
What critics said
Critics broadly regard the film as an important, visually powerful fusion of cinéma vérité and fictional drama that captures a nation in political turmoil, despite a comparatively thin conventional plot.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
John Cassellis and other fictional figures move through actual 1968 Democratic National Convention unrest, blurring staged and observed reality.
News-gathering scenes and convention confrontations use documentary techniques to capture police violence, crowds, and political protest.
John discovers that his television network shares his news footage with the FBI to identify suspects, turning reporting into state surveillance.
The film situates journalism and personal relationships within ghetto violence, racial tensions, the Vietnam era, and convention unrest.
Films like Medium Cool, and why
The Battle of Algiers
shared cinéma vérité techniques, political unrest, documentary realism, and New Hollywood experimentation
All the President's Men
shared media scrutiny, political violence, investigative journalism, and morally compromised institutions
The Conversation
shared New Hollywood realism, social alienation, racial tension, and documentary-inflected style
The Trial of the Chicago 7
shared political protest, police brutality, historical events, and confrontational documentary drama
Movie Details
- Director
- Haskell Wexler
- Release Date
- 1969-08-27
- Runtime
- 111 min
- Rating
- 6.6 / 10 (86)
Cast
- Robert Forster
- Verna Bloom
- Peter Bonerz
- Marianna Hill
- Harold Blankenship
- Charles Geary
- Sid McCoy
- Christine Bergstrom
- William Sickingen
- Robert McAndrew
Common questions
- What is Medium Cool about?
- A hard-edged television reporter confronts the collusion between news media and law enforcement amid the explosive protests of 1968 Chicago.
- What is Medium Cool like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Medium Cool as brisk, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.
- Is Medium Cool violent?
- Yes. Ember rates the violence in Medium Cool as graphic.
- What did critics think of Medium Cool?
- Critics broadly regard the film as an important, visually powerful fusion of cinéma vérité and fictional drama that captures a nation in political turmoil, despite a comparatively thin conventional plot.
- Which films are like Medium Cool?
- Films with a similar feel include The Battle of Algiers, All the President's Men, The Conversation, and The Trial of the Chicago 7.
- How long is Medium Cool?
- Medium Cool runs 111 minutes.
