66
Metascore
12 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 91Entertainment WeeklyChris NashawatyEntertainment WeeklyChris NashawatyAs an introduction to a first-class director who shouldn’t require any introduction at all, By Sidney Lumet is a thoughtful and thought-provoking treat.
- 83The Film StageTony HindsThe Film StageTony HindsBy Sidney Lumet provides audiences unfamiliar with his work a window into the heart and mind of one of the most important filmmakers of all-time.
- 80VarietyOwen GleibermanVarietyOwen GleibermanThe movie is simply Lumet and his films, which turns out to be an astonishingly satisfying experience, because he’s an incredible talker, with the same earthy electric push that powers his work.
- 75ObserverRex ReedObserverRex ReedThis film is too long for a documentary, and only a true Sidney Lumet fan is likely to sit through nearly two hours of it undistracted. Still, it’s a fascinating exploration of how a great mind worked by allowing the quality of his scripts to determine the style of each film—including not only the inner life but the camera, the clothes, the entire visual approach.
- 75RogerEbert.comBrian TallericoRogerEbert.comBrian TallericoBy Sidney Lumet won’t just make you want to revisit his works but reappreciate the role of a great director in cinema.
- 63Slant MagazineClayton DillardSlant MagazineClayton DillardIts strength lies in taking a thematic approach to Lumet's work, which prevents a chronological rattling off of one title after another.
- 60New York Daily NewsEthan SacksNew York Daily NewsEthan SacksBy Sidney Lumet is less a true documentary and more a long, previously unseen interview given by the director three years before his death in 2011.
- 60The New York TimesManohla DargisThe New York TimesManohla DargisWhile it’s no surprise that Mr. Lumet can spin a tale, these murky-looking, less-than-flattering sit-downs are irritatingly suboptimal, particularly given that he was so great at telling intimate stories about men in shadows.
- 50The A.V. ClubIgnatiy VishnevetskyThe A.V. ClubIgnatiy VishnevetskyThe late Sidney Lumet, a quintessential “actor’s director” who spent his entire life around the profession, is an engaging enough interviewee to qualify the documentary By Sidney Lumet as indifferently watchable.
- 50Village VoiceSam WeisbergVillage VoiceSam WeisbergIt's workmanlike and impassioned, but ultimately preaching to the choir.