SmugKitZine
Tied for the best movie I have ever seen
Console
best movie i've ever seen.
Kien Navarro
Exactly the movie you think it is, but not the movie you want it to be.
Walter Sloane
Mostly, the movie is committed to the value of a good time.
MartinHafer
The people that made "Welcome to Leith" did a nice job of presenting a reasonably well balanced and interesting story. While they obviously didn't like the white supremacists featured in the film, they also were sure to present the complete story...warts and all.The town of Leith is extremely tiny and located in the Dakotas. When a crazed white supremacist arrives there and starts buying up property, folks start getting concerned. When he then starts inviting in other like-minded jerks, the town starts to react...strongly. What follows is a film that consists of showing the tiny town's efforts to get rid of the supremacists and prevent them from taking over Leith. Unfortunately, when the neo-Nazis actually do something that might be illegal, some of the townsfolks manage to undo the state's case by talking out of turn...and some of these people later blame the state for the case falling apart. However, the way I saw the film I don't believe the authorities LEGALLY had much more they could do about the supremacists...and the film leaves everything in limbo. This could REALLY benefit from a follow-up to know what subsequently occurred.As I mentioned, the people who made the film were great--they were very thorough and did a wonderful job in presenting both sides. It's not 100% satisfying to watch, however, for two reasons. First, in real life things often DON'T work out perfectly...as the film illustrates. And, Second, despite 99.9% of the viewers wanting to see these neo-Nazis die or go to prison forever, legally this wasn't possible due to Constitutionally guaranteed rights...even the right to be an evil, nasty, hateful individual! To me this isn't a bad thing...everyone deserves protection--whether or not they are nice people...though I am sure many will be angered by this. Despite its shortcomings, it does make for an interesting documentary as well as a great civics lesson.
ksf-2
This one got hard to watch. So much hatred, so many derogatory epithets and swears being tossed around. Definitely NOT for the kids. Currently showing on netflix. The film opens with the towns-people introducing themselves, and how they first got to see or meet Craig Cobb,a white supremacist leader. The (true) story of how Cobb bought up land and encouraged other skinheads to come move into the town. A whole lot of people's religious beliefs and general statements being tossed around, from both sides. The writer/directors Nichols and Walker film the supremacists, the townfolk who just want the old, quiet way of life, and even the sheriffs who are caught in between. We meet the inter-racial couple who have lived here for years, and hope it doesn't get rough for them. For various reasons, Cobb ended up in jail, was subsequently released, and has since sold some of the property in Leith. Overall, interesting to watch. Kind of a lesson in legal rights and the line between legal and illegal activity.
glueShoe
@davannacarter <-- posted a review that is incredulous.The story about Leith ND is captivating, riveting, and true. It isn't trivialized by the number of people in a small town.In fact, it is more impactful that the Neo-Nazis chose such a small town as a target. Predators prey on the weak.Hitler and the 3rd Reich didn't start with an empire, they built one on fear.This movie carefully exposes the narrative with each interview and each scene. Nothing appears to be 'over produced' or fake. You can feel the fear and terror the citizens felt toward the encroachment of fascism. They spoke up, fought back, and won.Give this documentary a chance to show you a perspective on Neo-Fascism.
FlashCallahan
The documentary chronicles the attempted takeover of Leith, North Dakota by white supremacist Craig Cobb. What begins as an 'enemy within' story, turns into something more sinister, as the local townsfolk realise that the man buying their land is trying to create a hub for America's neo- Nazi movement. As Cobb's disciples arrive the locals rise up, and what was at first, a predictable war of nerves, turns into something deeper, questioning the concrete Amendments placed by the US government.......When seeing the documentary on face value alone, it's another perfunctory documentary made to exploit something that is already beyond exploitation, radicals and there abhorrent positive opinions on racism.It follows the same style as most documentaries do, have the good old talking head section, footage from cameras and news reports, acting as a narrative charting the occurring events.And whenever we see the main protagonist, or his 'disciples', there is this weird haunting musical score, like moans in a warehouse, which, if on a compilation of incidental music, would be called 'the epitome of evil'.And of course, the makers of the film are almost godlike in the way they can edit the footage. They alone decide how to make Cobb look during the film. Pure evil, snivelling wreck, pathetic loner, they use all the tricks they can to make him look powerful at first, and slowly lose his grip on reality. But to be fair, it wouldn't take much trickery, the man is a despicable piece if work.But if you took away all these simple tricks of the documentary maker, you can see the bigger picture, not only was Cobb trying to create his own little supremacist village, according to the first amendment, he was doing the majority of it legally.It's a fascinating insight to the legal system, and just how twisting the system ever so slightly can veer one persons judgmental perspective on a stale cult that should have ended over a century ago, can tilt in his favour.It's a scary though that even in today's climate, this sort of frantic hatred is still active and almost imperative to some peoples way of life.It's just desserts that Cobb becomes the 'fugitive' of the piece come the end, and he is the one banished into the middle of nowhere.Powerful stuff for sure, it will anger you, as you would expect it to, but it's a reminder that there are some absolute maniacs about,thinking that what they do is perfectly acceptable.