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Gimme Shelter
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Gimme Shelter

1970
Suspense/Thriller
Documentary
1h 31m
A harrowing documentary of the Stones' 1969 tour, with much of the focus on the tragic concert at Altamont. (imdb)
Directed by:
Albert Maysles Albert Maysles David Maysles David Maysles Charlotte Zwerin
+2 more
Starring:
Mick Jagger Mick Jagger Keith Richards Keith Richards Mick Taylor Charlie Watts Bill Wyman Michelle Phillips Michelle Phillips Tina Turner Tina Turner Marty Balin Meredith Hunter
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Genres:
Suspense/Thriller, Documentary, Music
Country:
USA
Language:
English
imdb More information at IMDb
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Gimme Shelter

1970
Suspense/Thriller
Documentary
1h 31m
Your probable score
Ratings & Reviews Cast Collections Similar Stats Trailer
Avg Percentile 70.24% from 650 total ratings
Ratings & Reviews Cast Collections Similar Stats Trailer

Ratings & Reviews

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billyshearsBillyShears
Rated 20 Apr 2020
90
92nd
Half of this movie is closeups of pasty ugly people (no it wasn’t the tv reflecting lolo) looking dour. I hate the sixties, I hate it so much, stupid hippies. Terrified at the idea of 60s hippies and K-Pop fans fusing into one super obnoxious being. I wanted footage of people in the back row feeling like complete idiots for even bothering.
Rated 20 Apr 2020
mentaculusMentaculus
Rated 10 Dec 2008
96
96th
The performances by the Stones themselves are fascinating enough to watch (and an incredible song by Tina Turner doesn't hurt either!). Building to Altamont, the fans are depicted as genuinely ridiculous; and by the end, as you watch the hippies leave Altamont, you absolutely believe you are seeing the end of the era of the Flower People. A slice in time, as a good doc should be.
Rated 10 Dec 2008
anomalyAnomaly
Rated 26 Oct 2011
87
90th
The Maysles brothers couldn't have had any clue what they were getting into when the Rolling Stones allowed them to film their tour. But they didn't just have luck - they had talent too. Showing the Stone's reaction to the footage as we see it ourselves is an inspired move, and truly drives through that Altamont signaled the end of 60s optimism. At the end Jagger is left defeated, realizing just how badly things can go.
Rated 26 Oct 2011
zayankZayanK
Rated 24 Jun 2012
88
79th
The revolution is over.
Rated 24 Jun 2012
majorbMajorB
Rated 20 Jan 2011
94
78th
It's amazing how well this doc was presented. The film uses much of its pre-Altamont footage to portray The Rolling Stones as irresponsible, secluded jokers and the meat of the film is the multitude of small mistakes that bred in the Altamont disaster. The framing device of the Stones watching the footage and seeing the events from the audience's POV is brilliant, and you can't help but feel for Jagger at the end as his jovial persona is stripped away, leaving a pair of sad, defeated eyes.
Rated 20 Jan 2011
enthusiastEnthusiast
Rated 16 Aug 2009
75
67th
More effective as a slow-burn thriller or horror movie than a concert film, even when you know what's coming. The MSG footage is absolutely necessary to give this any sense of narrative -- showing the charismatic, larger-than-life Jagger captivating the audience, in perfect contrast to the lost young man at the end of the film staring hopelessly into a sea of humanity, weakly pleading with the Altamont crowd to "get it together."
Rated 16 Aug 2009
rossRoss
Rated 25 Mar 2011
85
89th
This is an important film, not only because it was used as key evidence in an actual homicide case. But it feels like you're witnessing the end of an era. The peace and love decade is turning in to violence and madness before your eyes. Altamont was an amazing contrast to Woodstock. The first half is very dull, but it pays off big time.
Rated 25 Mar 2011
inhmninhmn
Rated 12 Jan 2009
99
92nd
Fear and loathing of documentary cinema. I love that there are no voice-over explanations and notes. Absolute classic. In the last couple of minutes, the age of Aquarius dies ...
Rated 12 Jan 2009
funkyastroFunkyAstro
Rated 18 Dec 2009
90
93rd
The cinematography told this brilliant story. Every scene and reaction was timed perfectly and fit the flow of this documentary. It ultimately unveils what a terrible idea this show was from the very start even though everyone had the best intentions in mind.
Rated 18 Dec 2009
tma1tma1
Rated 14 Aug 2007
80
75th
The Altamont concert is definitely the most interesting part of the film, and it knows it.
Rated 14 Aug 2007
nobletNoblet
Rated 06 Nov 2010
78
65th
I didn't find the first half of the film very compelling, it has some good concert footage but since I didn't like the band it was a little tedious. Once it gets to the infamous Altamont Free Concert things get really interesting. There's a lot of great footage of the enormous crowd, everything that went wrong during the event and some of the aftermath. I think the depiction of the final concert makes this movie well worth watching even for people who don't care about The Rolling Stones at all.
Rated 06 Nov 2010
moraesfelipemoraesfelipe
Rated 07 Mar 2015
95
98th
It's the film -- more than Easy Rider or any other New Hollywood feature -- that registers and chronicles the death of the 60s -- through acid trips, people desperately trying to perform and a Hell's Angels dude killing a black guy with a knife. With all that, nothing makes sense anymore -- even if there are babies being born. It's just mayhem caught on camera. The closest cinema ever got to hell.
Rated 07 Mar 2015
nathan_sNathan S
Rated 19 Sep 2011
4
74th
The apparently arduous set-up of a free concert, inter-cut with great performances of classic songs, keeps us anticipating the notorious Altamont show. It's an effective build-up to some amazing footage. What begins as a fun and celebratory party starts to show undercurrents of discontent, then all hell breaks loose as the swinging 60s give way to the sobering 70s.
Rated 19 Sep 2011
martintellerMartinTeller
Rated 14 Aug 2007
75
54th
A fascinating document and an interesting situation to ponder. The Stones' performances are a bit disappointing... very sloppy, and not in any kind of endearing way. Mick's swagger and strut are alternately captivating and ridiculous. I would have liked to see more of the other acts, as well.
Rated 14 Aug 2007
tjekhovTjekhov
Rated 08 Jul 2011
80
86th
The day the music died indeed. The film chronicles the rolling stones as they watch the footage of them performing at the infamous Altomont. What's really fascinating is that even though there were so many reasons why there shouldn't have been a concert, they went and did anyway. The film shows the exact time when the sixties died - and that's really the films strength - that it works like a time capsule; displaying recorded history as it happens.
Rated 08 Jul 2011
hellsditchhellsditch
Rated 11 Feb 2008
80
62nd
The first half is a bit of a yawner, but once the money-men get the go-ahead for the free Altamont show, it's absolutely fascinating...the concert scenes resonate with tension and danger and the filmmakers did a GREAT job of conveying that.
Rated 11 Feb 2008
glumpy99glumpy_99
Rated 03 Jan 2021
99
97th
The wet fart to follow the communal joy and haze of WOODSTOCK; what this film gets in an extraordinary way is the utter sadness and futility that the 70s would bring to contrast with the "flower-power" optimism of the early event - if WOODSTOCK is Kennedy, this film is Nixon! Captures the queasy horror of Jagger, Richards et al with a searing intimacy - we ultimately feel the weight of the death of an entire movement and ideal by the end of this, and all captured as it was happening!
Rated 03 Jan 2021
overratedoverrated
Rated 11 Aug 2010
77
87th
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/7274829.stm
Rated 11 Aug 2010
peaceanarchyPeaceAnarchy
Rated 05 Feb 2009
83
72nd
Fascinating to watch, if only for the disconnect from reality a lot of the people seem to have, and not just when they're stoned. The editing, which frames the movie as them looking back on the events leading up to the stabbing, helps this stand out as more than just a concert film. Even so, the pacing isn't always even and it just feels like there should be some thing more to the film.
Rated 05 Feb 2009
wetwillieswetwillies
Rated 12 Sep 2011
100
98th
The first half is a little shaky. While the performances are nice, the phone conversations are not, but I did like hearing the Brown Sugar demo. When the Altamont concert begins, this becomes a great film. And the very end, where we see the stabbing...gives me chills, man.
Rated 12 Sep 2011
chr1sCHR1S
Rated 20 Aug 2010
67
40th
Interesting documentary but an unfortunate, yet inevitable ending.
Rated 20 Aug 2010
twincinematwincinema
Rated 27 Apr 2020
85
85th
Let's be honest -- the sixties was an absolute horseshit of a decade. This looks like if hell came to Earth (or the Hell's Angels huhuhuhuh). I can't think of a worst place to be high than sitting in the audience of this concert.
Rated 27 Apr 2020
torontodogtorontodog
Rated 28 May 2008
90
94th
This is not only a great concert film and not only a great documentary, but also a great thriller. The violence and threat of more violence keeps building until Mick Jagger comes face to face with a potential catastrophe. Jagger's shocked reaction while watching the film shows us he has just realized what we all now know, that this film documents the moment of death for the "peace and love" '60s.
Rated 28 May 2008
alex_watkinsAlex Watkins
Rated 06 Mar 2007
4
70th
A fascinating document of my all-time favorite musical act and the buildup to the explosive and notorious Altamont Free Concert. If there's any frontman in the history of rock who is perfectly suited as a charismatic leading man, it's Mick Jagger - his on-stage behavior is simultaneously ridiculous and electrifying, and the movie runs with it, devoting most of the camera's attention to him. The concert at the end is truly harrowing to witness.
Rated 06 Mar 2007
kasperlKasperL
Rated 15 Mar 2015
90
97th
Funny, intoxicating, horrifying and outstanding.
Rated 15 Mar 2015
burmashaveburmashave
Rated 23 Sep 2011
99
99th
for weeks after watching this film, I would cry my eyes out everytime I heard ''sympathy for the devil''
Rated 23 Sep 2011
pickpocketPickpocket
Rated 18 Jan 2012
7
68th
Hippies, hippies everywhere. The entire knife slaying scene really makes this movie memorable and I actually said "holy shit" when they showed the replay of the footage. The performances aren't bad but compared to what the Stones are doing now they look like masterpieces.
Rated 18 Jan 2012
brallonbrallon
Rated 09 Dec 2016
87
94th
First half is okay but once the Altamont concert starts the tension just keeps on building and building until it all falls apart in thematically perfect fashion.
Rated 09 Dec 2016
kingcautiKingCauti
Rated 20 Oct 2011
75
68th
Uniquely structured and throughout you feel as you're watching a train wreck with more and more train cars piling up behind it. Maddening and scary real.
Rated 20 Oct 2011
theyshoot11theyshoot11
Rated 01 Dec 2011
65
30th
#706
Rated 01 Dec 2011
heapshakeheapshake
Rated 23 Sep 2018
90
94th
I know it's a cliche but truth is stranger than fiction.
Rated 23 Sep 2018
neonmanNeonman
Rated 06 Mar 2020
72
43rd
I'm not much of a fan of the Rolling Stones, so I weirdly found the organisational in-betweens of this "concert" film to be more engaging than the songs. In fact, I would prefer a cut of this with none of the music, only all the scenes of terrible organising and hippies vs bikers, because the crowd said more about the failure and hypocrisy of this generation than the band purports to do.
Rated 06 Mar 2020
theyshoot07theyshoot07
Rated 02 Mar 2008
62
39th
# 760
Rated 02 Mar 2008
adamj1982adamj1982
Rated 17 Jan 2014
75
69th
Bad vibes maaaaan.
Rated 17 Jan 2014
fra_paolofra paolo
Rated 04 Mar 2021
56
62nd
More 'hubris rides again' than 'the end of the Sixties'.
Rated 04 Mar 2021
bojanglesBojangles
Rated 06 Jan 2008
45
29th
You see a guy get stabbed, and then Mick Jagger pretending to care. The concert footage surprisingly isn't that great. I think the Stones are more of a studio band.
Rated 06 Jan 2008
jdelbalzo99jdelbalzo99
Rated 28 Feb 2010
95
86th
Not a huge Stones fan, but this was incredible.
Rated 28 Feb 2010
theyshoot08theyshoot08
Rated 19 Dec 2008
62
24th
769
Rated 19 Dec 2008
djrossdjross
Rated 26 Nov 2022
55
53rd
Often taken as a document of the end of an epoch of joy and cultural freedom: two weeks after it premiered, I shifted out of the womb. A dozen years after that, as I hit puberty, the AIDS pandemic erupted, bringing with it a whole new fear of sexual freedom. In life, timing is everything.
Rated 26 Nov 2022
stainStain
Rated 30 Mar 2007
50
33rd
Surprisingly not engaging for a movie with an on-camera knife slaying (yes, it's real)
Rated 30 Mar 2007
ladymcdeathladymcdeath
Rated 17 Jun 2010
49
34th
Meh.
Rated 17 Jun 2010
tonydaltonydal
Rated 27 Sep 2007
75
57th
Nice and raspy. The scene at the end of Mick Jagger walking out of the producer's film looking numb with shock and devastated says it all. A companion piece to The Isle of Wight Concert film; a double death-knell to the '60's.
Rated 27 Sep 2007
redflagredflag
Rated 13 May 2017
100
98th
War...it's just a shot away...
Rated 13 May 2017
carlosproCarlospro
Rated 09 Apr 2018
85
92nd
forte
Rated 09 Apr 2018
duderDuder
Rated 28 Jan 2013
65
59th
I just got bot several times during the film, even though it is a really good documentary.
Rated 28 Jan 2013
unclesausageunclesausage
Rated 21 Feb 2010
34
40th
Boob deodorant
Rated 21 Feb 2010
swainsloveswainslove
Rated 10 Oct 2008
85
63rd
Terrible concert audio but shows some of the early, and much younger, Rolling Stones in action. Very Scary at the end.
Rated 10 Oct 2008
qvtQVT
Rated 03 Oct 2012
35
44th
First half unbearable, second half pretty interesting. Was a 40 until it made me write a phrase I never (ever) thought I'd have to write: Mick Jagger is no Antoine Doinel.
Rated 03 Oct 2012
driscarpindriscarpin
Rated 06 Dec 2020
85
78th
Gimme Shelter tinha sua premiere em New York há 50 anos. Esse filme encapsula totalmente o que foram os anos 60 perfeitamente em míseros 90 minutos, a música, a liberdade, movimentos sociais, mas também a violência e a morte. BlurayRip no MakingOff.
Rated 06 Dec 2020
djfntstquedjfntstque
Rated 14 Aug 2007
79
69th
Almost great, but diminished by the Maysles' perceived need to use arbitrary footage from the NY concert as padding for the first half of the movie.
Rated 14 Aug 2007
pompousasspompousass
Rated 26 May 2009
60
85th
The Maysles' discreetly noncommittal coverage of the Rolling Stones tour that culminated in a fatal stabbing at the Altamont free concert. The moviemakers adopt the safe, aloof role of johnny-on-the-spot reporters, and refuse to implicate themselves in the events beyond that. In doing so, they haven't exactly put all their cards on the table. Their cameras never catch as much as you'd like to see, but they catch enough to qualify this as a worthwhile, if sketchy, cultural document on the Stones
Rated 26 May 2009
nunstranglernunstrangler
Rated 06 Dec 2009
57
35th
A provocative look at an out-of-control situation.
Rated 06 Dec 2009
doyler29doyler29
Rated 27 Aug 2023
100
96th
It's often characterized as being about the death of the 1960's, but it really covers far greater ground ... the everlasting battle between idealism and hard reality.
Rated 27 Aug 2023
moribunnyMoribunny
Rated 24 Sep 2018
63
60th
Any significance this film has in the first place is the result of sheer luck, but the whole Altamont segment of the film is excellently crafted by the Maysles. Up until then, the film was a bit of a chore for me, because the Stones' music features so prominently and is such a droning bore.
Rated 24 Sep 2018
hofschneiderHofschneider
Rated 13 May 2016
84
79th
Dear Baby Boomers, you were not better than anybody else...
Rated 13 May 2016
ol44893OL44893
Rated 01 Nov 2021
80
56th
The film looks great. It captures some great behind the scenes moments after the concert of the Stones reflecting on a deadly concert and does a good job capturing the madness of the concert. Don't go into the film expecting a lot of great performances and live concert scenes. It's the bad side of fandom and culture clashing. It's also a downer, as it shows where the country was headed.
Rated 01 Nov 2021
theyshoot10theyshoot10
Rated 15 Jan 2010
67
34th
662
Rated 15 Jan 2010
skulisaelSkuliSael
Rated 02 Dec 2008
90
93rd
Magnificent. *The Maysles brothers and Charlotte Zwerin did a true masterpiece. Not only is this a captivating concert film but also the growing terror at the Altamont concert holds you enthralled.
Rated 02 Dec 2008
willofgaiawillofgaia
Rated 14 Aug 2007
93
82nd
One of the most terrifying films (Documentary or otherwise) I've ever seen.
Rated 14 Aug 2007
auhasarderikauhasarderik
Rated 24 Mar 2017
8
79th
The cats, exposed, revealed. "Beautiful".
Rated 24 Mar 2017
shockularSHOCKULAR
Rated 07 Dec 2022
78
66th
I generally like the Stones okay, though I wouldn't say I'm a huge fan or anything, but this elevates beyond a normal music doc based on what is captures, which is the lead up to the concert and actual trainwreck of a concert at Altamont, which I was completely unaware of (I'm pretty clueless about music.) The first half or so is okay, but once the actual concert starts it's difficult to look away. This is probably like a 60 for the first half and a 90 for the second.
Rated 07 Dec 2022
icarusIcarus
Rated 05 Nov 2021
83
72nd
Definitely slow going to start--performances are solid if unremarkable. Starts to gain steam with Tina Turner, crescendos with the Altamont concert where the Maysles basically stumble into drama, and concludes with the distancing technique used throughout the film (band members watching the footage) finally paying off--there is a real aftermath to an incident like that, one that changes people who experienced it forever.
Rated 05 Nov 2021
jstryjstry
Rated 11 Feb 2008
65
47th
Some parts were quite fascinating. Others put me to sleep. The concert footage itself is something to see.
Rated 11 Feb 2008
attached_eonAttached Eon
Rated 29 Apr 2008
87
93rd
this is where free love died.
Rated 29 Apr 2008

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