American Anarchist

American Anarchist is a 2016 American documentary film written and directed by Charlie Siskel. The film centers on interviews with William Powell, author of the controversial 1971 book The Anarchist Cookbook.[1][2][3] The film premiered out of competition at the 73rd edition of the Venice Film Festival.

American Anarchist
Promotional poster
Directed byCharlie Siskel
Written byCharlie Siskel
Produced byCharlie Siskel
StarringWilliam Powell
CinematographyNina Bernfeld
Nick Foxall
Edited byChris McKinley
Music byT. Griffin
Production
companies
Bow and Arrow Entertainment
Distributed byGravitas Ventures
Release date
  • September 2, 2016 (2016-09-02) (Venice Film Festival)
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

Content

The film focuses primarily on an interview between Siskel and Powell, covering topics such as Powell's early life, what led him to write The Anarchist Cookbook, its publication and initial reception, Powell's post-book career as a teacher for emotionally disturbed children, Powell's personal life with his wife Ochan and son Colin, his renunciation of the book's contents, and the incidents where the book was found among the belongings of the perpetrators, including, but not limited to, the Columbine High School massacre, the Arapahoe High School shooting, and the 2012 Aurora, Colorado shooting, as well as a number of assassination attempts on government officials.

Reception

On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 67%, based on 12 reviews.[4] On Metacritic it has a score of 58 out of 100 based on reviews from 5 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".[5]

Matt Fagerholm writing for RogerEbert.com rated the film three out of four stars, and wrote: "American Anarchist presents us with a young man who believed he was living in the apocalypse, and whose book has gone on to have an apocalyptic effect on society."[6] Michael Rechtshaffen of the Los Angeles Times wrote: "Although it occasionally feels as if the thoughtful Powell (who unexpectedly died last summer) is being forced into a repentant corner, the film remains a penetrating case study in taking ownership of one’s actions."[7] Ben Kenigsberg of The New York Times called it "A study in denial, American Anarchist may be illuminating for being unilluminating."[8]

Death of William Powell

William Powell died in July 2016, aged 66, before the release of the film.[9]

References
  1. Deborah Young (September 2, 2016). "'American Anarchist': Venice Review". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on October 21, 2016. Retrieved October 20, 2016.
  2. E. Nina Rothe (September 7, 2016). "'American Anarchist' in Venice: Talking Choices and Responsibilities with Filmmaker Charlie Siskel". The Huffington Post. Archived from the original on October 21, 2016. Retrieved October 20, 2016.
  3. David D'Arcy (1 September 2016). "'American Anarchist': Venice Review". Screen Daily. Archived from the original on 21 October 2016. Retrieved 20 October 2016.
  4. "American Anarchist (2017)". Rotten Tomatoes. Archived from the original on November 12, 2020. Retrieved January 1, 2021.
  5. "American Anarchist Reviews". Metacritic. Archived from the original on November 12, 2020. Retrieved January 1, 2021.
  6. Matt Fagerholm (March 24, 2017). "American Anarchist". RogerEbert.com. Archived from the original on June 10, 2020. Retrieved January 17, 2020.
  7. Michael Rechtshaffen (23 March 2017). "Review: The long-lasting effects of revolutionary rhetoric explored in doc 'American Anarchist'". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on 28 November 2020. Retrieved 19 January 2021.
  8. Kenigsberg, Ben (23 March 2017). "Review: 'American Anarchist' Is a Frustrating Study in Denial (Published 2017)". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 30 April 2019. Retrieved 19 January 2021.
  9. Sampathkumar, Mythili (31 March 2017). "William Powell dead: Author of 'Anarchist Cookbook' dies aged 66". The Independent. New York. Archived from the original on 14 April 2019. Retrieved 17 January 2020.


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