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Network
Network
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Network

Network

1976
Drama
2h 1m
A TV network cynically exploits a deranged ex-TV anchor's ravings and revelations about the media for their own profit. (IMDB.com)

Network

1976
Drama
2h 1m
Your probable score
Avg Percentile 74.51% from 4938 total ratings

Ratings & Reviews

(4986)
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Rated 18 Jan 2007
95
94th
Four or five of the best monologues in the history of cinema can be found here.
Rated 14 Aug 2007
4
96th
This wasn't a satire, this was a prophecy.
Rated 18 Apr 2008
100
99th
This movie says a lot of things that you don't hear too often, even if you're the type of person that would think about them a lot, and I really appreciate that. There's also a delightful mix of character types, all shot through with the kind of believability you only get from good actors in the hands of a good director. William Holden's "shrieking nothingness" monologue is one of my favorite scenes ever.
Rated 24 Mar 2011
95
96th
'Network' is almost prophetic in its satirical scathing of the media industry. It is dark, haunting and thought provoking to this day, and much like watching your average Greenaway flick, it is the kind of movie that reminds us what sad tossers we all are. Otherwise, surely, we'd all be mad as hell, and we wouldn't take it anymore.
Rated 14 Aug 2007
92
96th
Excellent performances all around (well-deserved Oscars in all four acting categories) but what really sparkles is Chayefsky's incredible dialogue. There are too many amazing monologues in this movie to count, but I think my favorite is the one Beatrice Straight delivers as the scorned wife.
Rated 29 Apr 2008
94
97th
I think this could also be called "Monologue: The Movie" now that may turn some people off but it shouldn't because each and every monologue in this is so bloody well written and amazingly acted that it feels so natural for the film that it couldn't go any other way. Fantastically humourous and cautionary film that shows how even rebellion is used and commercialized but those it criticizes. Superb script and excellent acting. Excellent film.
Rated 19 Feb 2008
10
98th
Easily in the top 5 scripts ever written and becomes more relevant (sadly) with each new year. Peter Finch put in a great performance but no way should he have beat De Niro for the Oscar. Watching these monologues is some of the most satisfying shit you can do.
Rated 26 Jul 2010
86
93rd
The monologues are all mindblowing, and the acting is stellar all-over. Interesting how some of the themes are still relevant today. However, whenever Finch or Duvall weren't on screen, the movie seems to lose a little momentum and impact, and the television metaphors concerning Dunaway's relationship got a little hokey at times. Still, the end result is pretty ballsy and powerful, and it ends with quite a gut-punch.
Rated 09 May 2008
75
64th
Man, give her the FUCKING overhead clause. Let's get back to page twenty-two, number 5, small 'a'. Subsidiary rights.
Rated 13 Sep 2007
10
99th
There's the acting, Lumet's use of lighting, the brilliant story that has actually turned from an outrageous black comedy to a thrilling drama, but it's Chayefsky's script that pushes this from an incredible movie to one of the best films ever made.
Rated 14 Apr 2007
60
54th
A spectacular miss. So much of the overlong Network seems like potentially good stuff that's being flogged into fine dust... Every aspect of it is intelligent and substantial but also exaggerated, overstressed and didactic. It has several anti-TV monologues (all of them yelled) that are ironically reminiscent of just the contrived writing most typical of TV dramas. Great acting though. Worth watching for all its flaws.
Rated 19 Jan 2007
5
91st
It's like a collection of the best movie monologues ever. Almost entirely driven by dialogue, and all the better for it - this is one of the best screenplays in movie history, supported by some fine star performances (especially William Holden and Peter Finch) as well as great supporting characters (Ned Beatty delivers my favorite monologue). It's no longer as funny as it once was, but instead has become a sharp-edged and amazingly insightful attack on American media culture.
Rated 07 Dec 2020
100
97th
I wonder if 50 years after Hamlet's release, if people were saying, "It's still relevant!" Because that's what Chayefsky did with this screenplay & its timelessly profound commentary on television. With all the praise on the quotable script, people often overlook Lumet's amazing production. The picture moves at a brisk pace, uses simple but effective photography, and sucks you in even without the use of emotionally manipulative music. Maybe the aesthetics are a commentary on television as well?
Rated 21 Apr 2009
95
98th
Certainly one of the greatest scripts ever written, and the directing and acting bring it to life. Monologue after monologue and each as brilliant as the last. Interestingly, Chayefksy said he wrote the script not as a satire but as a depiction of what was really going on. How sad that these trends would continue for decades after.
Rated 14 Jan 2007
100
98th
The best script I've ever heard, and a film notable in that it was awarded 3 out of the 4 Academy Awards for acting. Should have won Best Picture.
Rated 04 Jun 2018
92
98th
Depressingly accurate media satire that has only increased in relevance. The whole hysterical affair is carried by steadily intensifying rants that go from charmingly mad to absurdly insane. Even the character interaction consists mostly of crazy monologues. It's as much about the rhetorical power of speech as it is about media culture. Stunningly dark & painfully hilarious, it would easily cross into farcical if it wasn't so razor sharp throughout. The drama inevitably feels a bit forced.
Rated 29 May 2011
90
94th
American media is and probably always will be bullshit. This movie made in 1976 outlined why it's bullshit, and it's just as accurate today as it was then. While it focuses more on the people behind the scenes of media being the primary bullshitters, it also takes some well deserved digs at us watchers who lap up the bullshit like babies drinking milk from their mother's teat. I would write more, but I've just ran out of bullshit.
Rated 18 Feb 2010
72
78th
Every aspect of this film would get full marks in any exam, but I was most impressed by how it was layered, showing a sophistication in writing far beyond the brutal dialogue.
Rated 18 Sep 2009
100
99th
An all-time favorite for me that I cannot recommend enough. Eerily prescient.
Rated 05 Jul 2008
9
90th
For anyone who enjoys films in general, you owe it to yourself to watch this one. Great, relevant script supported by a stellar cast.
Rated 23 Mar 2014
90
99th
Angry old men shouting at each other, at the viewer and at themselves. Probably the best collection of epic monologues I've ever seen.
Rated 20 Feb 2013
85
82nd
The film is mad as hell and its monologues ain't gonna take anybody's shit.
Rated 10 Feb 2013
97
99th
A great script can make a mediocre actor look good and vica versa, but when both are brought to the table the end result becomes greater than the sum of its parts. This film is the epitome of that. Every second of dialogue in this film demands that you shut the fuck up and pay attention or else you will miss the Rapture. Other scripts can be prophetic, but this is the Second Coming. That's not even mentioning Lumet's top notch direction. Every year that passes only proves Network's poignancy.
Rated 03 Dec 2012
80
65th
Great acting but parts of the story were way too cynical for my liking.
Rated 10 Dec 2010
95
82nd
The movie probably felt more comedic in 1976 when it felt far-fetched, but in 2010 when most of its predictions have come true, Network is more uncomfortably relevant than ever. Its performances are excellent, and the talkative script is very subtle with how it creates a world populated by newsmen who only speak in soundbytes and bored businessmen debating the economics of murder. A classic.
Rated 30 Oct 2010
80
85th
"Network" is an intelligent and often hysterical satire that features a great, if overstuffed script from Chayefsky, fantastic performances from a stellar cast (Dunaway, Holden, Finch, Beatty, Duvall and Straight are all amazing) and solid direction from Lumet. However, it suffers from weak pacing in its first half and the eagerness of the writer to convey so many messages that it feels like he's overdoing it. The final scenes and monologues are great though and the climax pays off as well.
Rated 30 Sep 2010
93
96th
I always get a little worried when people quote the "I'm as mad as hell..." monologue because I think they misunderstand it as being productive. This a film about counter-productivity and its commercial value, so what better piece of technology to show that then the television (well, the internet wasn't quite hot back in 1976). It's actually unfortunate how prophetic this movie turned out to be. 2019 UPDATE: A masterpiece in portraying '70s cynicism/pessimism.
Rated 26 Jan 2010
90
83rd
A little too talky, but very intelligent. Best thing: it is more than thirty years old, and yet it is even truer today than it was then.
Rated 21 Sep 2009
95
97th
Intriguing how truthful this movie remains 30 years later.
Rated 25 Apr 2009
83
83rd
If this movie were solely about Howard it would be amazing, but the secondary plot with Faye Dunaway and William Holden ruins it's inertia. I will say that the dialog was some of the best I've ever seen, but a little reworking of the plot would have been justified. Nearly everyone involved did some excellent acting, and coupled with the great writing makes this a remarkable movie.
Rated 17 Apr 2009
100
99th
There are hundreds of reasons as to why this is my favourite film of all time. Simplly put, this is one of the most important films of our times, and the power of it's polemic continues to grow in breadth and relevence every passing year. Not to mention it's ensemble cast is easily the most jaw-dropping in history. No film in history has been as under-rated as this.
Rated 29 Aug 2008
80
72nd
When I saw this movie I got mad as hell, but I decided I would take it some more. And I have. And now I'm madder than hell.
Rated 17 Aug 2008
84
89th
A great, mind twisting movie about; how TV decieve it's audience -Us and exploits the truth and show it only for making profit. A Remarkable movie, beyond it's own generation.
Rated 08 Feb 2008
63
45th
I know I'm in the minority here, but I found it to be a bit of a snoozer.
Rated 02 Feb 2008
93
96th
What was once a satire is now a depressing statement on today's news and popular entertainment. A fantastic script and performances--particularly Finch and Dunaway--frame a fantastic film that hasn't aged one bit.
Rated 16 Nov 2007
75
90th
Top notch script, direction and cast. However these days to witness what network has to offer, a random hour spent in front of tv is just about enough. Only difference is we became indistinct to it. There is too much hysteria going on in the movie, which is absolutely good for the actors and somewhat imbalancing for itself.
Rated 16 Sep 2007
95
96th
Network is such a well crafted film, and the acting by every single character is stellar. The screenplay is absolutely mesmerizing, and even though at times it seems over the top with Finch's character, it really is a one of a kind film. It is relevant even today. The whole "I'm mad as hell and I am not going to take this anymore" thing is so legendary, that even though it is so melodramatic, it really sticks with you. Lumet works his magic here, and Chayefsky's script is one in a million. Great
Rated 14 Aug 2007
8
93rd
Paddy Chayefsky stretches himself to the breaking point here, with a massive collection of great speeches and monologues. It's almost as entertaining to read as a script as to watch (not to undersell the great acting). Also, I want to hate-fuck Faye Dunaway in this film. Not her - the character.
Rated 26 Mar 2007
100
95th
Brilliant. Makes you think that maybe there's some hope for H. sapiens after all. WOW!
Rated 08 Jan 2007
100
99th
Perhaps my favorite screenplay of all time. Not only a brilliant satire of the television industry, but of our society as a whole. Stunningly prophetic and surprisingly timeless.
Rated 05 Dec 2017
75
73rd
Worth it for the monologues by Howard Beale and Jensen. The romance is superfluous and silly. The photography reaches peaks of beauty at times. The depiction of the afro-american commie woman as hollow and corrupt is almost reactionary.
Rated 15 May 2016
100
99th
Spits fire and brimstone and lets condemnation rain. Both incredible and sobering that 40 years later it still doesn't feel dated.
Rated 04 Nov 2014
98
94th
Network is a movie about television. It was made in 1976, and it is still just as relevant today as it was back then. It is brilliantly satirical and phenomenally executed. And the script is perfect. Even the longest pieces of dialogue are executed right, with no semblance of pretentiousness or dragging. But this couldn't have been if every role in the movie wasn't acted so perfectly. Truly one of the greats of American cinema.
Rated 07 Feb 2014
80
69th
I gotta say the satire isn't as sharp as Chayefsky seems to think it is; it's obviously intended as an exposé on what's really going on but it comes off as a distinctly outsider's perspective. Cynicism isn't necessarily insight. Lumet makes it work, though, even the limpid romance, until Ned Beatty's awesome speech somehow sucks the air out of the movie and all the subtext starts rushing out as dialogue. Really I don't know why Holden and Dunaway were in more than one scene together.
Rated 14 Dec 2013
90
96th
Fascinating snapshot of its own time, with some interesting implications that continue into today. Really great dialog, both snappier and smarter than anything Aaron Sorkin ever wrote. If I have a complaint about the movie, it's that it's overly pessimistic. I've never bought the idea that modern media ruins the character of younger generations. I also think we should give our ever-hungry capitalist engine credit where it's due - it produces a massive amount of good... accidental or no.
Rated 10 Jun 2013
70
88th
Where Network fails as a story (too many individual strands, jumpy time-frame, not enough character development, etc.) it makes up for it in dialogue, with a number of powerful speeches lambasting the media and its effects on modern society. Virtually every argument here is still relevant today - particularly when considering the Internet - with this realisation coming as both disturbing and comforting (nothing's changed, it's just modernised). This one stayed with me for a few days.
Rated 25 May 2013
100
99th
Powerful, scathing indictment of TV culture and ethics still packs a wallop of a gut punch some 40 years later -- thanks to the extraordinary performances of a top-rate cast, and a startlingly prophetic, insightful, darkly cynical screenplay by Chayefsky. Finch, Duvall and Dunaway are equally outstanding, but Holden's marvellously subtle, poignant portrait of an older man going to seed might represent his best work ever on screen.
Rated 22 Feb 2013
84
88th
A part of me fears the worldwide and webbed wrath that would be heaped upon me should I give this movie any less than an 81. The other part says hit me with your best shot, Internet!
Rated 12 Sep 2012
100
98th
Now that's how you make a fucking satire!
Rated 09 Jul 2012
85
84th
This idea has been attempted many times since in various forms and with much less tastefulness. It never comes across as obnoxious or too full of itself preachy.
Rated 04 Jun 2012
98
98th
One of those few films with an evolving genre: what was once biting satire has become docudrama, what was once sci-fi has become, say, Magical Realism. The script's rock-solid structure echoes the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, riding their steeds of belligerence, ineptitude, hubris and folly to the tune of a .30 share and viewers with a forever warped sense of reality, and really, the end of the world as we know it. Volatile stuff.
Rated 12 Jan 2012
80
90th
It may be 35 years old, but the points and critiques it raises remain just as relevant in today's day and age. It's full of amazing performances, especially from Peter Finch and Faye Dunaway. Some really nice cinematography too. I've seen the very famous "I'm as mad as hell" speech/scene a few times before but it's still so powerful and affecting. It certainly wasn't the only scene of that nature too, thankfully. A truly great movie.
Rated 17 Oct 2011
99
99th
How many films can you count where the script and the acting were absolutely perfect? This is one of those few. Just as relevant today (if not more) as then.
Rated 15 Apr 2011
70
36th
Its satire lacks subtlety, and the first hour or so is not very compelling. Only the final 20 - 30 minutes of Network left a strong impression on me. Its satire is on point, but I didn't enjoy the delivery, nor did I enjoy the side plots.
Rated 21 Jan 2011
97
91st
This feels vaguely theatrical. I'm not sure if this could work on stage, but it's depressing and absurd and humorous and contains probably the best monologues of contemporary performance.
Rated 25 Sep 2010
87
96th
I know everyone remembers the Finch rant but this is one of the greatest scripts ever written and the group of actors perform it perfectly.
Rated 04 Sep 2010
87
98th
A hilarious and biting satire that is still relevant decades later. Finch manages to portray an anchor whose monologues are always enthralling while still coming off as completely insane. This entire movie is packed with monologues, actually, which probably wouldn't work save that they are all delivered superbly.
Rated 04 Aug 2010
84
93rd
Scarily, Network was once outrageous satire, and now seems milder than reality. At least in Chayefsky's brilliant script, the network is exploiting a madman with something to say. Today, they exploit fame-hungry morons. Wonderful film - biting, funny, intelligent.
Rated 30 Jul 2010
9
91st
A staggering achievement in terms of the screenplay. Completely driven by it and filled with countless great monologues.
Rated 11 Jun 2010
100
98th
Best movie script ever written.
Rated 26 May 2010
80
91st
a bulldozer of a script, which has proven itself to be timeless over the years. even though the story is carried with somewhat didactic and preachy monologues, it is ultimately historic, and a superbly crafted eye-opener. Dunaway steals a lot of scenes with her explosive presence. Lumet has directed a definite classic, arguably his most serious movie, thinly veiled as a satire. should be shown in schools.
Rated 27 Mar 2010
100
93rd
A deliberately melodramatic satire on media corruption, it is passionate and compulsively watchable in its attack on demagoguery and in its depiction of the dangerous madness exploited by the mass media. What once seemed overheated satire has come, with time, to resemble accurate reporting. Its very existence in a commercial system is as remarkable as its box-office success.
Rated 28 Dec 2009
3
80th
DOOOOON'T FUCK with meeeeee
Rated 29 Sep 2009
95
97th
I regret not seeing this ten years ago. The ideas presented here firmly entrench the notion/knowledge of how exploitative and heinous television is, from the inside-out. I loved Duvall's line about Beale's show being a "big, fat, big-titted hit!", that made me bust up. Balls-to-the-wall performance from the entire main cast, and the flick also says a lot about how the spheres of news and entertainment are essentially one in the same. The ending sequence (straight news vs. commercials) is iconic.
Rated 25 Aug 2009
96
98th
Smart, gripping, and surprisingly hilarious, Network has what it takes to pull in any audience and keep them engaged. It has far and away the best writing of any movie, period; monologue after monologue is beautifully delivered with utter perfection, complemented with natural and witty dialogue between the characters. Though the cinematography leaves something to be desired, it - along with the intentional lack of music - adds depth and realism to the story and enhances the movies credibility.
Rated 10 Aug 2009
82
61st
BREAKING NEWS: THIS MOVIE HAS AMAZING MONOLOGUES (seriously though, it is very good, and holy SHIT at Bernice Straight)
Rated 03 Aug 2009
70
75th
Well acted, really good scripted.. Even true for today after more than 30 years..
Rated 01 Aug 2009
94
99th
A super sharp piece of satire that deserves all the praise it gets. One of those rare films where the cast are totally brilliant from leads too the smallest bit part players. The whole film is wonderfully paced and put together, and is built around several fantastic monologues, including obviously one of the most famous of them all in Finch's "I'm as mad as hell" rant. A true classic.
Rated 01 Aug 2009
95
94th
How disturbing it is that this film is even more relevant now than it was when first released. A powerful, satirical-yet-dramatic critique of our shameless, ratings-obsessed television networks, with some of the most intense and memorable monologues ever delivered and stellar performances throughout.
Rated 27 Aug 2008
85
84th
Great movie! ... And today more real than ever before...
Rated 17 Jun 2008
100
98th
Quite possibly the best American movie of the 70ies, even surpassing Taxi Driver and The Godfather
Rated 30 Dec 2007
100
98th
So much fun, and so poignant today, where we live in a post-Network world.
Rated 02 Dec 2007
95
97th
Network is a triumph of aggressive satire that becomes more relevant as time goes on. Paddy Chayefsky eloquently shows us through his writing that when all is said and done, it's really all just bullshit.
Rated 28 Oct 2007
100
98th
Great movie, might be even more relevant today, then in 1976.
Rated 14 Aug 2007
100
99th
Media satire that was WAY ahead of its time; stunningly filmed and acted to boot.
Rated 14 Aug 2007
99
98th
Brilliant, brilliant satire. As every bit great as it was 30 years ago. Required viewing for anyone with a brain that works.
Rated 20 May 2007
10
98th
For me this was as much about the script, perhaps one of the best I've seen in the film, as it was about a dire portrayal of the media and the tricks that it not only plays on its viewers, but it's own staff, even the owners. Are we not all just actors in a tragedy with a loss of what it means to think and feel real emotions in this day and age? One man's rebellion, although temporarily successful could never work against something amorphous and undefinable as the beast that is TV broadcast.
Rated 30 Mar 2007
100
94th
Soothsayers of such salience of sight, save for sharks and snake-oil salesmen, shot short of such lucid scrutiny of symptoms and side-effects of subsequent and successive strains of so said sapiens. Some would say sidney and chayefsky stand shoulder to shoulder and profess portent pictures not yet come to pass.
Rated 19 Jul 2022
65
40th
The film adaptation of Paddy Chayefsky's word-a-day calendar. The first thirty minutes is solid meaty farce and then the rest protests the same points into the Earth with no focus and a greatly miscalculated b-plot that somehow becomes the a-plot.
Rated 16 Aug 2020
69
50th
These movies are never as smart as their reputation would have them be. Good examples of PERFORMANCE
Rated 17 May 2020
95
97th
Sidney Lumet is my director.
Rated 11 May 2020
90
86th
Viewing Network in today's climate is somewhat tragic, as the film's poignant satire of news media managed to capture our current state of media over 40 years later. The film illustrates the power a cult of personality that can have, even trumping the truth, and features Peter Finch in his career-making performance, a charismatic and terrifyingly unforgettable one.
Rated 04 May 2020
90
91st
Under Quarantine Film Re-reviews #68: As relevant as it was when it came out, its scathing satire of TV and news is second to none. it would not have been possible without the outstanding cast, especially Duvall and Finch, and Paddy Chayefsky's flawless script.
Rated 01 May 2020
91
81st
Brilliantly written movie about how often the cogs in the wheel of this country are mistreated.
Rated 14 Sep 2019
9
93rd
An eerie, comical depiction of the dehumanization of media and human relations, delivered in a captivating, clever form. The acting is superb and backed by an amazing script. The film deals with relevant philosophical questions, but its cheap, artificial facade is what makes it the perfect satire of its own medium.
Rated 06 Sep 2019
90
93rd
This is a very thought provoking watch.
Rated 02 Sep 2019
70
52nd
Everyone is capital 'A' Acting, each with their own monologue to prove it.
Rated 03 Aug 2019
80
68th
"Why compromise?"
Rated 12 Apr 2019
80
81st
Howard Beale: "I want you to go to the window, open it, stick your head out and yell: "I'm as mad as hell, and I'm not going to take this anymore.""
Rated 08 Dec 2018
87
94th
An all around brilliant movie. The directing, acting, and writing all stand out as fantastic. The satire feels particularly poignant today and elicited quite an emotional reaction from me at times. With that said, and this is both a compliment and a criticism, it's a disorganized film. As sharp and realistic as the commentary feels, it's often a challenge to parse what exactly the film is trying to communicate. Perhaps it casts too wide of a net, but it's a masterpiece nonetheless.
Rated 29 Sep 2018
75
69th
Could have benefited from leaning into the farcical angle more. As is I'd say it's crusty but benign.
Rated 15 Aug 2018
90
99th
Brilliant view on mass media from pre-post-modern times. Maybe even more resonant today in essence, if not in details.
Rated 28 Mar 2018
98
95th
This film, as you might expect from Lumet, is well directed. It's also very intelligently written and powerfully acted. This is a satire that doesn't hold back. It goes straight for the jugular and doesn't apologise for that. Also, the film doesn't feel dated. This is principally because, perhaps lamentably, it still resonates today.
Rated 23 Mar 2018
93
99th
I don't think I've ever seen a film as cynical. A classic.
Rated 31 Jan 2018
72
63rd
Anchorman 2: The Dramatic Oscar Winning Cut
Rated 26 Apr 2017
90
94th
SO much of it is half scathing satire of the direction television news was going in, and half full-on terrifying prediction of what we have actually ended up with. Overall it's a bit baggy, but it's still so socially relevant today that i'ts basically required viewing for pretty much everyone in the western world.
Rated 19 Feb 2017
98
94th
When one considers this film was made over 40 years ago but is still so contemporary and resonant, it is simply nonpareil. There is a tendency to reduce this to "I'm as mad as hell" but it is a beautiful construction that is as darkly satirical as Dr Strangelove and as Orwellian as 1984.
Rated 20 Jan 2017
75
56th
This used to be one of my favourite films years ago. I am much less keen on it than I used to be, though it is still scarily prescient and its satire is venomous (in the best way). The romance subplot feels superfluous and irritating to me now though, and the endless monologues can honestly feel a bit draining by the end of the film.
Rated 03 Dec 2016
100
97th
Such a great movie. There really isn't anything else to say.
Rated 28 Nov 2016
99
51st
perfect , tight script. the usual perfectly effective direction by lumet. all the actors shine. the most exciting movie w no soundtrack ive ever seen . dia.ogue is music .

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