ThedevilChoose When a movie has you begging for it to end not even half way through it's pure crap. We've all seen this movie and this characters millions of times, nothing new in it. Don't waste your time.

Bea Swanson This film is so real. It treats its characters with so much care and sensitivity.

Bumpy Chip It’s not bad or unwatchable but despite the amplitude of the spectacle, the end result is underwhelming.

Staci Frederick Blistering performances.

gavin6942 Amidst the American hunger for instantaneous news and up-to-date "facts", this unflinching film purportedly uncovers the vast, invisible world of government secrecy.This documentary appealed to me because government secrecy is something I deal with every day. As an organized crime historian, I frequently read FBI and police documents that were previously classified. In many cases, information that had never been known is now being brought to light because of the reports. So, the balance of secrets and publicity is important to me.I do like how this documentary looks at many different angles. Although very short, it manages to look at how the press can hamper important national security issues by making secrets public. Conversely, it looks at how the government has a tendency to be overly protective of "secrets" that never should have been secret in the first place. And most importantly, it covers how different agencies fail to share information with each other -- the biggest problem in secrecy is the inter-agency rapport.What is the answer to these important problems? I choose not to even offer such a suggestion. The documentary also never fully offers suggestions. But can you blame them? This could be the most important issue the federal government has to deal with.

dolphinna This truly excellent film goes far beyond the basic expectation of a documentary to simply "inform." Visually exciting and thoroughly researched, it inspires reflection on how government secrets and democracy work together and -- perhaps more importantly -- how they do not. These reflections do not arise without effort, however. We have to earn them by remaining active thinkers throughout the movie. This is, in fact, the film's greatest contribution. So many filmmakers expect their audiences to receive information passively. It is refreshing to be presented with a film that assumes, from the start, that their viewers possess the ability to think critically.Highly recommended for a wide range of audiences, from students of various ages to government officials and interested citizens.

John Seal We are lied to every minute of every day by our government-regardless of whether Republicans or Democrats are in power. The government then conceals those lies by claiming that to reveal the truth to the unwashed masses would endanger national security. This brilliant documentary takes a look at the pernicious spread of the culture of secrecy, starting with the 1948 Waycross, Georgia, plane crash that led to the Supreme Court's decision establishing the States Secrets Privilege. Now we are at the point where the feds claim that entire court cases cannot proceed because of this so-called Privilege. The Bush administration honed the use of the SSP to a fine art; unfortunately, the Obama administration shows no interest in reversing that policy. And why should they? As Secrecy makes quite clear, once you cede power to the executive branch, why would the executive branch choose to give it up? And why should we, the serfs of neo-liberal capitalism, expect any less from our wise masters? Every person who has any interest in constitutional government, democracy, and freedom needs to see this film.

JustCuriosity Secrecy is an excellent political documentary that delves into the complex arena of secrecy in American government. It explores the fascinating history how and why secrecy policies developed through the Cold War and how they have now been adapted to the War on Terror. The film simultaneously explores the inter-related issues of keeping government secrets from the public and the less commented-upon problem of intra-governmental secrecy that prevented intelligence agencies from cooperating before 9/11. Unlike so many political films, this is a balanced presentation that brings in a variety experts with different and nuanced points of view. It doesn't dumb down its discussion to the lowest level of discourse. It explores the role of both the government and the media and their complex dance with each other. It is enjoyable and professional and reminds the viewer of the type of program put together by PBS's first rate series, Frontline. The film would be an excellent one to adapt for use in high school and college political science classrooms. It explores a complex and inherently difficult issue without being didactic or conspiratorial. At the same time, it manages to entertain. This film is recommended to everyone who wants to better understand their government.