A Choice of Weapons: Inspired by Gordon Parks

Play trailer

1:51

A Choice of Weapons: Inspired by Gordon Parks

2021

1h 30m

Documentary

Play Trailer

Watchlist

Watchlist

Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

88%

Tomatometer

8 Reviews

42%

Popcornmeter

Fewer than 50 Ratings

Best known for his iconic portraits of everyday Black Americans in all their pain, ordinariness and glory, photographer and filmmaker Gordon Parks shot everything from fashion to Malcolm X, Gloria Vanderbilt and Muhammed Ali. Long time photographer and first African American on the staff of Life magazine, Parks captured the deep humanity of anyone fortunate enough to be in front of his lens. Through his striking images, Parks disrupted conventional ideas of who was an American and, using his camera as a weapon, fought for social justice in the US and abroad, eventually evolving into a novelist and a Hollywood film director.

Watch on HBO Max

Stream Now

Nicolas Rapold

New York Times

11/16/2021

As Parks once said, "I consider this my world," and we're all still living in it.

Go to Full Review

Tambay Obenson

IndieWire

11/15/2021

C+

A welcomed effort, the film doesn't fully commit, resulting in a rather uninspired portrait of one of America's greatest artistic trailblazers.

Go to Full Review

Matt Fagerholm

RogerEbert.com

11/15/2021

4/4

[A Choice of Weapons is] deeply moving in how it illustrates the ways in which a single life can have an eternal ripple effect throughout the generations.

Go to Full Review

Cassondra Feltus

Black Girl Nerds

11/13/2021

4/5

Parks chronicled all walks of life - the impoverished, the elite, the dehumanized, the sensationalized. While I would've loved more details about Parks' life and experiences, the documentary is a good overview that is sure to encourage further research.

Go to Full Review

Wade Major

FilmWeek (LAist)

11/13/2021

It's a wonderful dialogue. Striking and stirring.

Go to Full Review

Read all reviews

David A

@Bigbearfan18 11/20/2021

Really wanted to like this. The concept seemed great ... but it was bad.

See more

11/16/2021

Powerful. Beautiful. Inspiring. Informative. Challenging! Loved loved loved this documentary! Gave me a new perspective on Mr. Parks and his body of work!

See more

11/15/2021

Ignoring the reality of inner cities by selective photos. Simple statistics tell us this storyline is boloney. Hard to watch a movie that is void of and ignores reality.

See more

Read all reviews

Read More

Read Less

WRITE A REVIEW

EDIT REVIEW

POST RATING

John Maggio

Director

Kareem Abdul-Jabaar

Self

Anderson Cooper

Self

Spike Lee

Self

Gordon Parks

Self

LaToya Ruby Frazier

Self

Great Photo, Lovely Life: Facing a Family's Secrets

100%

85%

Great Photo, Lovely Life: Facing a Family's Secrets

Watchlist

TRAILER

for Great Photo, Lovely Life: Facing a Family's Secrets

The Legend of the Underground

100%

83%

The Legend of the Underground

Watchlist

TRAILER

for The Legend of the Underground

Adrienne

100%

84%

Adrienne

Watchlist

Natalie Wood: What Remains Behind

74%

78%

Natalie Wood: What Remains Behind

Watchlist

TRAILER

for Natalie Wood: What Remains Behind

Surveilled

%

%

Surveilled

Watchlist

Discover more movies and TV shows.

View More

A Choice of Weapons: Inspired by Gordon Parks: Trailer 1

1:51

View more videos

View more photos

Synopsis

Best known for his iconic portraits of everyday Black Americans in all their pain, ordinariness and glory, photographer and filmmaker Gordon Parks shot everything from fashion to Malcolm X, Gloria Vanderbilt and Muhammed Ali. Long time photographer and first African American on the staff of Life magazine, Parks captured the deep humanity of anyone fortunate enough to be in front of his lens. Through his striking images, Parks disrupted conventional ideas of who was an American and, using his camera as a weapon, fought for social justice in the US and abroad, eventually evolving into a novelist and a Hollywood film director.

Director: John Maggio
Producer: Monica Berra, Matthew O. Henderson, George Kunhardt, Teddy Kunhardt, Richard Lowe, John Maggiop, John Maggio
Production Co: HBO Documentary Films
Genre: Documentary
Original Language: English
Release Date (Streaming): Nov 15, 2021
Runtime: 1h 30m

Join The Newsletter

Join The Newsletter

Cookie Settings