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Parents' Guide to

The Whistleblower

By Jeffrey M. Anderson, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 18+

Strong role model in otherwise disturbing, depressing movie.

Movie R 2011 112 minutes
The Whistleblower Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

Community Reviews

age 17+

Based on 2 parent reviews

age 16+

Movie Critics should get a life. This movie needs to be seen

This movie is TOO important not to be seen. Some critics seem not to care about Exploitation of women, and think they could make a better movie. Critics don't make movies, why? because they have no talent. This movie is too important to be criticized, and needs to be promoted for the extremely serious content.
age 17+

whisteblower

ok

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (2 ):
Kids say (2 ):

Ukrainian-Canadian filmmaker Larysa Kondracki makes her feature writing and directing debut with THE WHISTLEBLOWER, and it seems to be straddling two Hollywood traditions. It wants to be a true story with a powerful, active female lead -- like Norma Rae, Erin Brockovich, and North Country. But it also wants to be a potboiler, using factual elements as part of a typical thriller (All the President's Men, JFK, The Insider). Unfortunately, the thriller stuff is very soft, and the docudrama stuff is too focused on "Oscar moments" (i.e. huge expressions of outrage and torment).

Yet Kondracki has clearly done some research here, and in between the awkward moments of finding bugs in phones and stealing satchels full of classified documents, the movie carefully tells a horrifying tale of human trafficking and the severe cruelty it inflicts in exchange for a massive profit. If the movie serves a purpose, aside from Weisz's powerhouse performance, it's to impart information about this important issue.

Movie Details

  • In theaters: August 5, 2011
  • On DVD or streaming: January 24, 2012
  • Cast: David Strathairn , Monica Bellucci , Rachel Weisz
  • Director: Larysa Kondracki
  • Inclusion Information: Female directors, Polynesian/Pacific Islander actors, Female actors
  • Studio: Samuel Goldwyn Company
  • Genre: Drama
  • Run time: 112 minutes
  • MPAA rating: R
  • MPAA explanation: disturbing violent content including a brutal sexual assault, graphic nudity and language
  • Last updated: November 10, 2023

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