Desert One

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2:29

Desert One

2020

1h 47m

Documentary

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

88%

Tomatometer

49 Reviews

92%

Popcornmeter

Fewer than 50 Ratings

Filmmaker Barbara Kopple examines a failed U.S. military operation to rescue hostages in Tehran, Iran, in 1980.

Critics Consensus

Comprehensive without getting bogged down in details, Desert One offers a fascinating look at a daring military mission that ended in defeat.

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Christy Lemire

FilmWeek (LAist)

09/01/2020

You can learn a lot more from your failures than your rah-rah successes. Barbara Kopple is of course a veteran [filmmaker] and does this brilliantly.

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Angie Han

FilmWeek (LAist)

09/01/2020

It felt a little bit dry to me. Having a lot of perspectives is good, but it means that you have a long series of talking heads... That said, it was worth watching.

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Steve Pond

TheWrap

08/24/2020

[Barbara] Kopple is an impeccable documentarian.

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David Walsh

World Socialist Web Site

02/10/2021

It is a deplorable work, which ... espouses nauseating pro-military and patriotic sentiments.

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A.S. Hamrah

The Baffler

01/09/2021

Desert One has no real point of view. It doesn't offer much, beyond honoring the men who tried to rescue the hostages, and is by default but not by conviction militaristic.

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Dan Schindel

Hyperallergic

11/17/2020

Kopple's best films capture blistering humanity, and that's mostly absent here.

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greg r

@itsgregsworld 02/15/2021

The story of the most incompetent people ever to carry out a mission. Excellent documentary. Shame on America.

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john h

@JHTheHorrorTheHorror 02/14/2021

Well made with many details new to me. Emotionally impactful as well. I recommend watching with "Jimmy Carter Rock and Roll President" and "Argo".

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01/21/2021

Revealing and as poignant today as it was in 1980. Great film-making, it will be useful for many as perspective for how American politics and international relations took a sharp turn.

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Barbara Kopple

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Francisco Bello

Writer

David Cassidy

Producer

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Desert One: Trailer 1

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Synopsis

Filmmaker Barbara Kopple examines a failed U.S. military operation to rescue hostages in Tehran, Iran, in 1980.

Director: Barbara Kopple
Producer: David Cassidy, Eric Forman, Barbara Kopple
Screenwriter: Francisco Bello
Distributor: Greenwich Entertainment
Production Co: History Channel, Cabin Creek Films
Genre: Documentary
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Aug 21, 2020, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Aug 21, 2020
Runtime: 1h 47m