Quartile rating: 6.5/10 · 1 rating
Through revealing interviews with experts and victims' families, this gripping documentary examines the problem of deadly foodborne illness in the US.
Poisoned is a competent and earnest food-safety documentary that draws on Jeff Benedict's book to expose systemic failures in US food regulation. The interview-driven structure is effective and the subject matter is genuinely alarming, giving the film solid informational weight. However, it follows a fairly conventional documentary template — talking heads, archival footage, victim testimonials — without distinguishing itself visually or cinematically. The acting category here reflects interview subjects and advocacy figures rather than performers, and the presentation is serviceable but unremarkable. The ending offers modest calls to action without a particularly memorable or resonant conclusion. Novelty is middling: the food-safety exposé is a well-trodden subgenre, though the film synthesizes its material capably.