77
Metascore
15 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 90The New York TimesJeannette CatsoulisThe New York TimesJeannette CatsoulisSlicing through the fat of policy debates to the visceral rush of critical care, the narrative combines existential worries... and blood-and-guts immediacy with a seamlessness that made me want to high-five the editor, Joshua Altman.
- 90The Hollywood ReporterSheri LindenThe Hollywood ReporterSheri LindenWhat sets Code Black apart is that the filmmaker is himself a physician. His extraordinary access to life-and-death moments and his illuminating perspective on the medical system make for a powerful viewing experience.
- 90Los Angeles TimesMark OlsenLos Angeles TimesMark OlsenMcGarry has created something that feels personal, vital and revelatory, allowing the rest of us behind the curtain.
- 83The PlaylistKatie WalshThe PlaylistKatie WalshCode Black manages to encapsulate so much of what is wrong with our health care system, but also to point out what’s right, and to posit an attitude shift not just about health care but about how we as a society treat those around us who are in pain or suffering. A heartbreaking but hopeful message within this important film.
- 80Village VoiceErnest HardyVillage VoiceErnest HardyWhat will pull viewers in is the empathy of the healthcare workers who battle to retain their idealism in the face of staggering obstacles.
- 80The DissolveChris KlimekThe DissolveChris KlimekCode Black doesn’t suggest ways to improve health care in America, but it at least documents one of the most noble and necessary professions with insight and humility.
- 70VarietyJustin ChangVarietyJustin ChangAt 81 minutes, Code Black feels like a brisk, vital report from the frontlines of emergency medicine, forged and rooted in the most intense sort of personal and professional experience.
- 67The A.V. ClubMike D'AngeloThe A.V. ClubMike D'AngeloFar too much time is spent on McGarry and his colleagues talking to the camera about how little they’re motivated by money or status and how much they just want to help people. That’s laudable, but it’s not compelling.
- 63RogerEbert.comMatt Zoller SeitzRogerEbert.comMatt Zoller SeitzThe movie is at its best when it's immersing you in a series of conundrums and letting you feel what it's like to live with them, and wrestle with them. All of these people are doing the best they can, but the system is broken.
- 60Time OutJoshua RothkopfTime OutJoshua RothkopfResident turned filmmaker Ryan McGarry sometimes displays shrewd instincts for hardheaded vérité — there’s compelling stuff here, even if you shear away his occasional stabs at issues of bureaucratic overcrowding and corporate cost-cutting at the expense of intimacy.