Reviews

2008

AIR DATE: October 21, 2008

"It's too bad weasely answers can't somehow be converted into clean energy, because Martin Smith, the "Frontline" producer and reporter, elicits a lot of them in "Heat," his savvy investigation of global warming and our chances of stopping it..."

- Neil Genzlinger, The New York Times

"... Thorough and wide-ranging, "Heat" takes us from India's cement factories ... and the U.N. Climate Change Conference in Bali to the international empire that is Exxon and the chambers of the Congress. ...

"It's enough to make a person turn off all the lights, pull the covers over her head and weep. But that, of course, is the problem. This is exactly what Americans have done for far too long. Or at least this is what "Heat" argues, and it does so quite persuasively..."

- Mary McNamara, Los Angeles Times

"Nobody watches "Frontline" for the comedy, but I found it amusing to see publicists squirm under vigilant grilling. ... Students of evasion, double talk and nondenial denials should not miss this."

- Kevin McDonough, United Features Syndicate

... [P]eerless Martin Smith looks into the main issues of global pollution, the ambivalent role of the U.S. industry and the prospects of environmental change given a new administration. Its typically clear delineations of the issues, it turns out, makes it a perfect choice for pre-election consideration.

- Roger Catlin, Hartford Courant

""Heat" won't stop money from talking. Chances are, nothing will. But understanding the complex issues behind all those talking points might at least move more of us to demand a say in the future that seems to be coming, whether we're ready or not."

- Ellen Gray, Philadelphia Daily News

"When it comes to climate change, the official word on the campaign trail is optimism. ... "Heat," the "Frontline" documentary that premieres tonight, ... functions as a big wet blanket, a sad reminder that, in this country and many others, the sort of change the planet needs has never come easily. This is an in-depth look at the impediments to climate change solutions, with a focus on the political system that has, so far, resisted anything more than tiny, piecemeal efforts..."

- Joanna Weiss, The Boston Globe

More

AIR DATE: January 8, 2008

"FRONTLINE's 'The Medicated Child' ... is about as harrowing a look at the burgeoning use of drugs to treat psychological conditions in children as you can imagine..."

- Heather Havrilesky, Salon.com

"... 'The Medicated Child' revisits territory FRONTLINE first examined in 2001, raising some familiar warning flags and some new ones. But it's not a knee-jerk treatment. As the program points out, there are pros as well as cons to the increased use of prescription drugs on children."

- Neil Genzlinger, The New York Times

"... Writer/producer Marcela Gaviria and co-producer Will Cohen portray a growing medical establishment that is grappling with crises in the lives of children while establishing its own boundaries, protocols and body of certain knowledge. ...

"'Child' reveals a world of paradox, contradiction and anecdotes that could bolster almost any viewpoint. ...

"'Child' is far from an anti-drug diatribe. ... What Gaviria and Cohen stress is that suddenly (in terms of establishing protocols) drugs are becoming integral to the lives of grade-schoolers and preschoolers -- in numbers growing exponentially. How will this affect their later life -- their teens, their early working years and so on? ... "

- Ted Mahar, The Oregonian

2007

AIR DATE: April 17, 2007

"Gangs of Iraq pulls back the veil on what viewers might already have gleaned from the nightly news: the coalition effort to train Iraqi forces to stand up for themselves has been largely disastrous, thanks to infiltration by sectarian militias."

- Alex Strachan, CanWest News Service

"Gangs of Iraq, the third installment in the ''America at a Crossroads'' series on PBS and airing tonight, is valuable because it shows viewers something of what American forces really face in trying to train an Iraqi army and police force. ... It is to the credit of this program that viewers will better understand [officials'] anxiety [about Iraq's security], and the difficulties facing the United States in Iraq."

- Sreenath Sreenivasan, The New York Times

" ... in harrowing detail reveals, among other things, that the administration's goal of handing over the reins of war and peacekeeping to Iraqi soldiers and police officers is elusive at best."

- Alessandra Stanley, The New York Times

"... on flighty matters like international terrorism ... PBS' long-running 'Frontline' series remains the gold standard ... "

- Eric Mink, St. Louis Post-Dispatch

"... portray[s] the seldom-seen life of everyday Iraqis ... "

- Joe Garofoli, San Francisco Chronicle

2006

Airdate: October 3, 2006

"... FRONTLINE opens the new season tonight with an excellent piece on this terrifying story. The timing couldn't be better... Martin Smith, a superb reporter who has done great work in this area as well as Iraq, exposes the extent to which Pakistanis in the ungovernable tribal lands along the border give succor to the Taliban while the Pakistani military looks the other way. His interviews and film footage produce an indelible picture of the situation that no policy story out of Washington can match."

- Sam Aillis, The Boston Globe

"... an unprecedented view of a terrorist breeding ground that has apparently replaced Taliban-run Afghanistan. 'Return of the Taliban' is a frightening look into the medieval madness and violence of the tribal areas -- where disloyal elders are beheaded in the public square and thieves are hanged in the streets with money stuffed in their gaping mouths for all to see -- should serve as a wakeup call to anyone who thinks America's enemies are in retreat. ... Incorporating vividly unsettling video footage and in-depth interviews with key players in the region, Smith paints a grim picture of a situation that seems to be slipping further from America's grasp. ..."

- Christian Lowe, The Weekly Standard

"... fascinating... compelling viewing -- a must-see for anyone with a loved one fighting in Afghanistan, and mandatory viewing for anyone even remotely curious about what's happening in the literal frontlines of the war on terror. ... Veteran Frontline correspondent Martin Smith's film is truth-telling at its best: straightforward, informative and thoughtful, but not judgmental. ...

- Alex Strachan, CanWest News Service

"... a disquieting reminder of what the world is up against when taking on a Muslim holy war."

- Alessandra Stanley, The New York Times

"... One of the numerous strengths of FRONTLINE through the years has been its ability to provide a historical context in complicated international situations. ... So it is with 'Return of the Taliban,' as Smith, aided by notable geopolitical experts, explains the complex military and political webs that have been spun in this barren, complex part of the world."

- Dusty Saunders, Rocky Mountain News

"... The report once again shows why there are no easy answers in this war."

- Tom Dorsey, Courier-Journal

""... It's an understatement to call this FRONTLINE an eye-opener."

- John Doyle, The Globe and Mail

"Frontline" (PBS) unearths the original cut of George Lucas' least popular Star Wars film, "The Return of the Taliban."

- Aaron Barnhart, Kansas City Star

"... hard-hitting..."

- Paul Brownfield, Los Angeles Times

"... powerful..."

- Kevin McDonough, United Feature Syndicate

2005

Airdate: November 22, 2005

We heard the questions in the days immediately following Hurricane Katrina: Where were the troops, the food, the water? Where were the emergency workers? Where was FEMA?

...in an unsparing yet clear-eyed report, FRONTLINE details what went wrong with the federal response to the storm.

Few of the people interviewed for this report come out smelling good. ... It's a maddening report.

- The Houston Chronicle

"The Storm" does an excellent job exploring what went wrong with the government's response to Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans.

- Pittsburg Post-Gazette

Leave it to "Frontline" to provide a gripping documentary with fresh facts and analysis, raising important questions we all need to ponder for some time to come.

- Chicago Tribune

Frontline makes Michael Brown squirm, and rarely does television provide more riveting rubber-necking.

- Orlando Sentinel

So who was ultimately responsible for the government's inept reaction to Hurricane Katrina? "Frontline" offers a dispassionate, methodical but ultimately thoroughly damning account of the federal response, providing vital historical context about the dismantling of FEMA and an interview with its former head Michael Brown that carries the timely reminder it's important to know when to shut the hell up. Paired with a "Nova" documentary about the science of the storm, this meatier half of the night won't ease PBS' left-leaning image among conservative critics, but it's still must-see TV.

Correspondent Martin Smith leaves few stones unturned in an hour that opens and closes with disturbing homevideo of the disaster's toll. While Brown apparently hasn't learned to quit when he's behind -- becoming testy when Smith asks how he could have "misspoken" three times regarding the feds' knowledge of the conditions in New Orleans -- Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff and President Bush notably declined to be interviewed.

... PBS, of course, finds itself caught in its own kind of storm, indicative of the poisonous environment that made discussion of the Katrina response less about competence, whatever one's allegiance, than about seeking to gain leverage amid the aforementioned finger-pointing and political fallout.

However, Smith's authoritative approach conveys a meticulous journalistic throughline that all but the most partisan hacks will be hard-pressed to convincingly parry.

At least, that should be true until the next disaster -- complete with that year's edition of "the blame game" -- blows into town.

- Variety

Brown is the juiciest target in the program's post-Katrina shooting gallery, but not the only one.

- Newark Star Ledger

"Frontline" corners the usual suspect, Michael Brown, the former Federal Emergency Management Agency director, who still defends his galling inaction. The reporter, Martin Smith, conducts an aggressive, on-camera interview, described as Mr. Brown's first since the storm, and the deposed political appointee says that he does not want to pass the buck and then does just that.

- New York Times

"Frontline" revisits the Hurricane Katrina mess and gives former FEMA chief Michael Brown a chance to dig an even deeper hole for himself.

- Kansas City Star

Footage of the storm, much of which appears to be new to television, is breathtaking. Depiction of failures at every level to respond to the hurricane is equally stunning.

- Philadelphia Enquirer

"The Storm" ... puts the federal government's feet to the fire for failing to better prepare for and respond to Hurricane Katrina. It's a scathing look back at what happened on the political front...

- Los Angeles Times

Smith takes no prisoners: He asks tough questions, is unsmiling throughout and asks tough follow-ups ("So how do you misspeak three times? I don't understand"). It's old-school television journalism at its best, the kind you hardly ever see any more on the increasingly airbrushed newsmagazines on the major U.S. networks. ... Frontline's Katrina post-mortem is tightly focused and tightly wound. It tells a complicated story simply and well. ... It's fascinating viewing, eye-opening and revealing, with not a dull moment in it.

- CanWest News Service (Canada)

Airdate: June 21, 2005

""Private Warriors" is the closest thing to must-see TV that "Frontline" has uncorked in ages. Veteran correspondent Martin Smith, on his fourth trip to Iraq for the program, has reported, written, and coproduced a devastating look at the rodeo of private contractors working for the US government there that should trouble all of us.

"And let it be noted that in doing their jobs in Iraq, he, coproducer Marcela Gaviria, and crew display uncommon braveness that only hints at what reporters stationed there must marshal every day.

"'Private Warriors' injects yet more concern about the prosecution of this war, and of others to come. With the smarts and the moxie of a pro, Smith documents something worse than corruption: chaos."

- The Boston Globe

""Private Warriors" is the most extensive report to date by any network, broadcast or cable, about the private companies that are providing everything from bodyguards to catering in Iraq. And that includes, in some cases, bodyguards for caterers.

"If this report doesn't make you angry, it should at least make you squint, scowl and go, "Huh?" Companies such as KBR and the South Africa-based Erinys already have collected tens of millions of dollars for providing services. Yet in trying to get answers to questions as seemingly innocuous as "How much does it cost to feed a U.S. soldier per day?" Smith encounters dodging and double-speak that bring to mind the Kafka-esque interrogations on the old spy series "The Prisoner." It doesn't inspire confidence or trust."

- Newsday

"Smith goes on the ground, harrowingly, to illuminate the dilemma in his fourth visit to Iraq ("the first time I've felt it's unsafe to travel about freely," he says). He details an extraordinary crazy-quilt system, so huge and scattershot that nobody seems to know exactly who's doing what or how much it costs.

"In an hour stuffed with solid reporting, Smith opens viewers' eyes to terrible shortcomings half a world away, providing perspective and information in a dynamic package unavailable anywhere else. He speaks to military men and civilian analysts. His report is remarkable for its thoroughness and even-handedness."

- The Philadelphia Inquirer

"Private Warriors, tonight's Iraq-themed news documentary on PBS's Frontline, offers a fascinating, white-knuckle view of the occupation resistance in Iraq as seen through the eyes of a handful of the 20,000 private-sector security enforcers who live and work there.

"Unlike national newscasts that claim to tell you everything you need to know about Iraq from the comfort of their Washington bureaus or a studio in Toronto, Frontline shows us the view through the shattered, blood-stained windshields of the SUVs that tear along "Route Irish," an insanely dangerous 15-kilometre stretch between the Baghdad airport and the so-called Green Zone in the city's centre. There is some gut-wrenching footage here...."

- The Gazette (Montreal)

"Television loves a good car chase, and the squealing of wheels is a trope of any police procedural that becomes bogged down in some urban badlands. Rarely, however, do you see the car chase put to such good use as in the "Frontline" season-ender, as it drives home a few illuminating points on the otherwise dull topic of outsourcing in the armed services.

"In "Private Warriors," "Frontline" takes a full hour tonight to look at the street-level mayhem in Baghdad and the life-and-death stakes for private security firms, which the United States military employs as protectors and shuttlers in the war zone. The result is appropriately, engagingly upsetting."

- New York Times

"There are sequences in Tuesday night's "Frontline," about the outsourcing of soldiering work in Iraq, that will stick with viewers for a while."

- Times-Picayune (New Orleans)

"'Private Warriors' offers a window into the chaos and violence in Iraq that doesn't show up on the nightly or cable news reports."

- Chattanooga Times Free Press (Tennessee)

"It’s a tough-minded look at the role of private contractors in Iraq. ... 'Frontline's' report gets not just both sides, but several sides of this complex story. It has nearly an hour of commercial-free airtime to work with and uses its time better than any news organization in the United States."

- Kansas City Star

"Tonight’s important new episode of 'Frontline', the first to really go deep on the issue of contractors in Iraq..."

- The Hartford Courant

Airdate: February 8, 2005

"... a scrupulous, informative chronicle of the United States-Saudi Arabian alliance. It's also romantic, because -- it's irrefutable -- the Saudis are romantic. ...

"Any invocation of romance in this context may suggest an Orientalist aesthetic, but one of the tacit lessons of this exceptional film by the talented and tireless Martin Smith is that that aesthetic -- the one inherited from Lawrence of Arabia days, now updated with images of oil-sponsored opulence and ascetic jihadis -- profoundly informs the relationship between the United States and Saudi Arabia. ..."

- New York Times

"PBS' news magazine 'Frontline' must have a crystal ball in its office. How else to explain the program's knack for airing exhaustive documentaries on much-covered topics, mere days after the subject has become urgent again?

"The latest triumph of timing is 'House of Saud,' a sharply critical documentary about Saudi Arabia -- an oil-rich monarchy that produced 15 of the 19 hijackers, and that inundates its schoolchildren with anti-American and anti-Jewish rhetoric, but is still considered a valued ally. In the foreign policy section of his State of the Union address, President Bush took baby steps toward modifying this opinion, but 'Frontline' argues for wholesale revision. ...

"While 'Frontline' catalogs Saudi Arabia's troubles with a fairly cold eye, the program ends on a mildly hopeful note..."

- Newark Star-Ledger

"... Leave it to 'Frontline' to present a cogent and engrossing history of U.S. dealings with Saudi Arabia for the past 60 years. ..."

- The Hartford Courant

"... doesn't flinch from either the details or the implications..."

- New York Daily News

"Excellent documentary..."

- Houston Chronicle

2004

Airdate: October 9, 2004

"...The Choice" ... is far more filmic and nuanced than some of the clip-jobs you may have seen on cable news networks. Much of the archival footage is revelatory....

...We'll soon have a verdict. Follow the evidence in 'The Choice 2004' for an uncommonly rich understanding of these two disparate politicians."

- Dallas Morning News

"...It is not until well into the two-hour film that 'The Choice 2004' presents less familiar, and more rewarding material. It takes well-known episodes in each candidate's career, moments that network and cable news shows have shrunk down to 10-second sound bites, and blown them back into context.

...'Frontline' is not saucy or hip, but it does a comprehensive, compelling job of tracing just how deeply rooted the differences between the two men really are."

- New York Times

"...The film ... offers a sustained examination of a subject to which the Kerry campaign has devoted conspicuously little attention, namely the candidate's Senate history - particularly his opposition to any American military action. ... Still, it very soon becomes clear this film offers George Bush's handlers significantly more occasions for wincing - or would, if most of those occasions didn't concern already well-known and chewed-over matters....

...An absorbing, adroitly written film (Nicholas Lemann, reporter) whose last line, at least - 'Soon it will all be over'- should lift hearts on all sides in this memorably bitter election season."

- Wall Street Journal

"...Another superb and vital edition of television's finest news documentary series."

- Detroit Free Press

"... a no-frills, evenhanded analysis of both men -- their wartime records, their professional successes and failures, and their personal frailties. It aims to give viewers more of what they need to know to make an informed decision on Nov. 2, but does that without propaganda, half-truths and half-cocked conspiracy theories. 'The Choice 2004' deftly conveys that a clear choice is exactly what we have on Election Day. This smart documentary might make that selection a little bit easier."

- Salt Lake Tribune

"The quadrennial PBS special, 'The Choice,' is a highlight of the election cycle. This year's installment ... is no exception. ... Dispiriting, enlightening, and revealing. ..."

- Denver Post

"...Even when the insights are not fresh, the impartial perspective is, and that's what makes this concurrent biography a must-see for anyone old enough to vote -- or care."

- New York Daily News

"A welcome relief from network news' largely useless point-counterpoint reports. ... Many of us have already made up our minds by now, which makes the special most useful to those hotly pursued undecided voters. If you consider yourself among that number, this is required viewing. Then again, if you're among the throngs engaged to a candidate without being wholeheartedly committed, 'The Choice' may be exactly what you need to solidify your decision."

- Seattle Post-Intelligencer

"... fascinating television from at least two perspectives. ...The two hours ... provide, by far, the most complete study of the two candidates. ..."

- Rocky Mountain News

Airdate: February 12, 2004

"...whether award-winning documentarian and producer Martin Smith intended it or not, "Beyond Baghdad" is a refreshingly fair portrayal of the complications coalition forces in Iraq face and shows the intricate tribal and ethnic fractures that run throughout the Middle East.

"...it's a far cry from the stinging rebuke of the occupiers' policy many might expect. ....Smith does a good job explaining the cultural landscape and its embedded squabbles -- reasonable and irrational."

- Weekly Standard

"...correspondent Martin Smith's enlightening and, ultimately depressing exploration of American interactions outside the Iraqi capital..."

"The good humor and good intentions of the U.S. military men and women interviewed here are impressive, but there's also a sense of fatalism to their remarks: We're doing what we can, but who knows?"

- Chicago Tribune

"What [Martin Smith] uncovers here is nothing that hasn't been written about extensively in long, detailed newspaper stories. But seeing the volatile nature of all the disparate people and hearing their tales of tribal revenge and jockeying for position in a post-U.S. Iraq, you very clearly get the sense of how long it's going to take to get Iraq stable -- if we ever do." ...

"If the Bush administration doesn't want to hear the words 'quagmire' or 'morass,' it's not going to be happy with the overall impression conveyed by 'Beyond Baghdad,' which is this: What the hell have we got ourselves into?"

- San Francisco Chronicle

2003

Airdate: October 9, 2003

"As the White House launches its latest PR blitz to convince Americans that all is going well in Iraq -- no matter what the media say -- along comes 'Frontline' to spoil things. PBS's eminent investigative series kicks off its new season tonight with a devastating documentary on how the Bush administration sold the war and got rid of Saddam Hussein (well, almost) but seems to have overlooked the need for a plan after declaring victory. ...

"Whatever your politics and opinions about the war, this documentary is must viewing for those who seek to understand why the early scenes of liberation have given way to nearly daily reports of attacks against occupying troops. ...

"No doubt the administration would see this documentary as more media filtering to accentuate the negative. But the facts on the ground, as reported by Smith and his crew, are stubborn indeed."

- Washington Post

"...along comes Frontline - measured and detailed and covering every base, mixing widely reported material from places such as Meet the Press and C-Span with exclusive reporting - to put the big picture in perspective. So few TV organizations even attempt journalism anymore, it's a pleasure to see it so well-done. ...

"'Truth, War and Consequences' is the kind of must-see TV that the folks at Frontline churn out year after year. When they set their sights on a story (coming up: terrorist sleeper cells, the Food and Drug Administration, alternative medicine), they report rings around other organizations. They deserve a wider audience."

- Philadelphia Inquirer

"More incendiary than post-war Iraq ... [a] very explosive report."

- New York Post

"... a chilling, in-depth look at the war in Iraq. ... The film is a methodical and a fair overview of the crisis so far, and brings perspective to an issue that has been clouded by rhetoric from the Bush administration."

- Salt Lake Tribune

"Smith, who reported the excellent 'In Search of Al Qaeda' installment of 'Frontline' last season, scores again. 'Truth, War and Consequences' is another substantive, first-rate edition of PBS's standout news journal. No network newsmagazine fluff allowed."

- Detroit Free Press

"FRONTLINE remains indispensable for its seriousness and ambition. The PBS series again offers in-depth reporting on Iraq that most of television won't, or can't, tackle. ... The program doesn't say a lot that's new, but it pulls together the information for a rare, comprehensive view. ...

"The style of 'Truth, War and Consequences' is hard-hitting but low-key. It's quite different from the furious partisan squabbling that dominates Iraq discussions on cable news channels. ...

"'Truth, War and Consequences' represents another first-rate contribution from FRONTLINE, which has examined Iraq this year in 'Blair's War' and 'The War Behind Closed Doors'. Like the previous programs, the one tonight is sweeping and demanding; it's not news served up in bite-sized nuggets.

"...If you want to be reminded what in-depth really means, Frontline will show you."

- Orlando Sentinel

Airdate: April 10, 2003

"...PBS's documentary series 'FRONTLINE' once again does our homework for us, with a solid one-hour program... It ties the story together and answers the question: How did this happen?

"...it provides a comprehensive view on how we arrived at the current brinksmanship between North Korea and the United States. Neither party comes off well. ..."

- Boston Globe

"Working its way up to the present impasse over Kim developing weapons-grade plutonium, 'Frontline' reminds us what a prickly handful this country has been since the Korean War ended in a cease-fire half a century ago. ..."

- Newsday

2002

Airdate: November 21, 2002

"What this documentary discloses about the landscapes and psyches in which Al Qaeda flourishes is crucial for Americans to understand."

- Boston Globe

The jarring reality: This is the real world of terrorism."

- Rocky Mountain News

"Be warned, there is nothing reassuring here."

- New York Times

Airdate: January 24, 2002

"For a TV program to take a deep breath and plunge into such a complex topic, well ... there are times when you say a silent thanks for Frontline."

- San Francisco Chronicle

"You needn't know a thing about Wall Street ... to enjoy this jaw-dropping exploration of avarice and idiocy."

- Los Angeles Daily News

"'Dot Con' builds a damning case -- and does it at a clip that will leave you breathless. This is one bit of business everybody should mind."

- Toronto Star

"This fascinating, chilling, infuriating cautionary tale could not possibly be more timely. 'Dot Con' tackles the Internet boom and bust as only "Frontline" can."

- The Hollywood Reporter

2001

Airdate: November 15, 2001

"...[A] timely and informative documentary"

- New York Times

"'Saudi Time Bomb?' brings much needed clarity to a global issue so cloudy that it's currently raining fear and confusion on us all."

- Newsday

"FRONTLINE's series on the terrorist attacks against the United States and how our government responded is a primer on the mind of a terrorist. From the exposé on Saudi Arabia to the solid background reporting on the hijackers, this reporting prepares us for the post-9/11 world."

- David Klatell, chair of the duPont Award jury and interim dean of the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism

Airdate: October 11, 2001

"...[T]he documentary clearly and disturbingly traces the Sept. 11 attacks ... back more than 70 years to the birth of the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt."

- New York Times

One of a series of "riveting programs about the origins and effects of terrorism by Islamic militants". PBS's FRONTLINE series validates "the role of television news in a democracy."

- duPont Award jury

One of a series of "riveting programs about the origins and effects of terrorism by Islamic militants". PBS's FRONTLINE series validates "the role of television news in a democracy."

- Newark Star Ledger

Airdate: September 13, 2001

"A compelling 'Frontline' installment..."

-Sun Sentinel (Ft. Lauderdale)

"An unusually clear and comprehensive look at the messy business of anti-U.S. terrorism."

- Daily News (NY)

Airdate: April 10, 2001

"Emotionally riveting"

- Docos

"The debate is just heating up. And Frontline is on the front line."

- Rocky Mountain News, Dusty Saunders

"If we all watched FRONTLINE, the world could be a better place."

- Philadelphia Inquirer

Airdate: October 9 and 10, 2000

"FRONTLINE stands alone on television as a place inquiring minds can go regularly for smart, tough documentaries" ... "magnetic television"

- Los Angeles Times

"...this is an absorbing, illuminating, often provocative presentation."

- New York Times

"This intimate view of the drug underworld is unprecedented in American television."

- Chicago Tribune