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Who Killed the Electric Car?

Who Killed the Electric Car?

2006
Documentary
1h 32m
This documentary chronicles the life and mysterious death of the GM EV1, examining its cultural and economic ripple effects and how they reverberated through the halls of government and big business. (Sony Pictures Classics)
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Who Killed the Electric Car?

2006
Documentary
1h 32m
Your probable score
Avg Percentile 55.61% from 385 total ratings

Ratings & Reviews

(385)
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Compact view
Rated 12 Jul 2010
40
19th
Decently produced, but pretty much propaganda that pushes, pushes, pushes one side of the issue. Yes I'm sure GM discontinued a potentially profitable unit just to spite a few Californians. Makes sense.
Rated 30 Apr 2008
47
28th
It's easy to get stirred up by the corporate indifference to innovation the film depicts and Paine is content to keep pushing those hot buttons, indicting every major component of the power structure including oil companies and the government. His assessment may very well be correct but the presentation is so one-sided that the film quickly becomes tiresome. Martin Sheen's overcooked narration doesn't help. He presents even the most mundane facts with an off-putting tone of outraged bafflement.
Rated 11 Jan 2008
54
30th
Interesting topic, mediocre construction and delivery.
Rated 11 May 2014
6
55th
Doesn't tell you anything you couldn't have guessed without watching it but it's fast paced and entertaining enough. The opening scene belongs on r/cringe. A funeral for a car? lol.
Rated 31 Jul 2011
80
41st
All too briefly, the documentary indicts the American consumer as a co-conspirator in this "murder." I would have loved a further exploration of this instead of letting a snarky, albeit Pulitzer winning, journalist speak this point-of-view. Interestingly, this film shows a lot of sample bias: "Everyone I know would love one of these cars, I can't understand why they would stop making them."
Rated 21 Jul 2023
40
36th
this just made me sad :(
Rated 27 Dec 2023
70
37th
A post-Michael Moore documentary that is flagrantly agenda driven, but does a better job of providing salient, reasoned arguing points for the case it is making (ignoring the ridiculous “funeral” and Sheen’s sometimes too-breathless narration). Does an effective, even-handed job of selling its message, with a round-table of persuasive talking heads doing a good job (with an overly-conspiratorial Gibson a slightly incongruous addition). Not bad if not especially memorable.
Rated 01 Oct 2017
60
35th
Little actual insight; highly reliant on emotional statements by consumers.
Rated 20 Sep 2010
70
79th
Could have been better, since we only get to see one side of events, but hard to argue with most of the logic used.
Rated 06 Aug 2009
99
86th
Excellent.
Rated 28 Apr 2020
72
36th
Very interesting information, but so heavily agenda-driven that it's hard to take 100% serious. Still a worthy watch, and impressive seeing how directly corporate actions have targeted a very specific car model and technology.
Rated 16 Dec 2007
78
78th
The kind of documentary to make you really, really angry at bureaucracy and petty politicking and the oil industry. Smart, savvy, funny and completely infuriating. Also: I want one.
Rated 05 Jul 2007
78
73rd
Effective, not so informative...
Rated 24 Feb 2008
60
27th
23 Subat, ifistanbul08 fest., salon2, seans 17:00 & ilginc bir konuya ve daha da ilginc bir isime sahip.Fakat belgesel, televizyonda yayinlanan belgesellerden daha kaliteli degil.Sinema da gosteriliyorsa en azindan televizyon kalitesinde olmamali.-benim gorusum bu- Bu yuzden iyi bir konuya parmak basmis olsa da -petrol, hukumetin iki yuzlulugu vb.- teknik olarak yetersiz buldum.vakit gecirmek icin izlenebilinir.
Rated 02 Dec 2010
25
61st
"Like the kid brother of An Inconvenient Truth, Chris Paine's Who Killed the Electric Car? delivers cinematic activism of an eco-friendly variety." - Nick Schager
Rated 19 Aug 2007
72
79th
I blame the terrorists! Great piece, well documented.
Rated 05 Apr 2012
63
32nd
The truth about the EV1 seems so muddled in emotion and politics that I don't really judge this movie by terms of accuracy. Instead I judge it as I would a work of fiction. The film does a good job of touching emotional highs and lows, has decent pacing and makes us care about its characters. It's not outstanding, but it made me care about cars more than any other "documentary" I've seen.
Rated 03 Mar 2007
70
82nd
Very interesting.
Rated 13 Dec 2011
81
82nd
This film gives an in depth look on all the reasons the electric car failed. The film makes me mad at times but it certainly is worth watching.
Rated 14 Jun 2007
80
46th
I remember seeing the EV1 at Epcot's Tomorrowland, and how it was "the future." This is an interesting look at why that "future" never, and probably won't ever, happen. It does get a little boring towards the middle, but getting to see a former Baywatch star get arrested will wake you up, and then it starts to get good again.
Rated 28 Aug 2010
70
55th
Yes it's one sided but given the direction of the American automotive industry and the success of the more forward thinking Japanese auto makers it adds an interesting perspective to things.
Rated 13 May 2011
72
28th
Decent documentary, though I found it kind of told along only one line of events.
Rated 29 Apr 2008
43
19th
truly a muder mystery

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