The Gatekeepers
Former Shin Bet chiefs expose the moral compromises, strategic failures, and political contradictions embedded in Israel’s long security struggle.
Overview
A deep dive into the minds behind Israel's security operations reveals the moral complexities of war.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Graphic
- stark
- probing
- foreboding
- serious film discussion
- history study
What critics said
Critics broadly regard the film as a striking, rigorous, and riveting insider account that offers essential perspective on the Israeli–Palestinian conflict.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
All surviving former heads of Shin Bet provide firsthand accounts of the agency's operations and political environment.
The interviews question counterterrorism methods, legal boundaries, occupation, and the effectiveness of force.
Contemporary interviews are intercut with historical archive and computer-generated imagery that visualizes events and operations.
Former security chiefs discuss the Israeli occupation, Palestinian resistance, and the diminishing prospect of a two-state solution.
Films like The Gatekeepers, and why
The Fog of War
politically engaged documentary filmmaking examining state power, conflict, and contested historical memory through testimony and archival material
Standard Operating Procedure
interview-driven political documentary confronting the moral consequences of national security decisions and prolonged conflict
No End in Sight
urgent historical documentary connecting terrorism, geopolitics, and the human costs of security policy through firsthand perspectives
5 Broken Cameras
serious investigative documentary about the Israeli–Palestinian conflict and the political structures sustaining it
Movie Details
- Director
- Dror Moreh
- Release Date
- 2012-07-09
- Runtime
- 101 min
- Rating
- 6.9 / 10 (121)
Cast
- Ami Ayalon
- Avraham Shalom
- Yaakov Peri
- Carmi Gillon
- Avi Dichter
- Yuval Diskin
Where to watch in United States
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is The Gatekeepers about?
- Former Shin Bet chiefs expose the moral compromises, strategic failures, and political contradictions embedded in Israel’s long security struggle.
- What is The Gatekeepers like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of The Gatekeepers as measured, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.
- Is The Gatekeepers violent?
- Yes. Ember rates the violence in The Gatekeepers as graphic.
- What did critics think of The Gatekeepers?
- Critics broadly regard the film as a striking, rigorous, and riveting insider account that offers essential perspective on the Israeli–Palestinian conflict.
- Which films are like The Gatekeepers?
- Films with a similar feel include The Fog of War, Standard Operating Procedure, No End in Sight, and 5 Broken Cameras.
- How long is The Gatekeepers?
- The Gatekeepers runs 101 minutes.
- Where can I watch The Gatekeepers?
- In United States, The Gatekeepers is available to rent or buy from Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home.
