In the 1990s, following California's passing of the Zero Emission Vehicle mandate, American car companies began producing electric cars for mainstream consumption. GM's EV1, which was by all accounts quiet, fast, and capable of driving up to 80 miles on one charge, used no gasoline and quickly developed an intensely devoted following in California. But even as its popularity grew, car manufacturers were fighting the mandate; it was overturned, and by 2005 just about every single EV1 had been recalled, crushed, and shredded. GM put its resources into the Hummer instead. WHO KILLED THE ELECTRIC CAR? looks at the tangled web of interests behind the car's untimely demise, laying out convincing cases against the auto industry, big oil, corrupt federal and state governments, and consumers themselves.

Chris Paine's directorial debut is not especially stylish, but it is effective. He leads viewers through the twisty maze of politics and profit that surrounds the main story, taking time to dwell on the passionate attachment that many of the cars' drivers still feel for them. Appropriately, the film is narrated by Martin Sheen--the embodiment for many Americans of socially conscious leadership, thanks to his many years on THE WEST WING--and features interviews with a motley array of celebrities from Mel Gibson to Ed Begley, Jr., but the real star of the movie is the doomed car itself and all that it stands for. The film is not especially fair or balanced; very little screen time is devoted to criticism of electric cars, and the only person on camera defending the oil companies is a singularly slimy and unappealing spokesperson from whom most viewers would be unwilling to buy a used car of any variety. But it certainly succeeds as a rousing, if occasionally depressing, call to awareness and action.

Rating: PG (MPAA)

Rating Reason: for brief mild language.

Runtime: 91 minutes

DVD Code: Region 1 US, CA

Genre: Education/General Interest

Color: Color

Rating: DVD Features:

Region 1
Keep Case
Anamorphic Widescreen - 1.78
Audio:
Dolby Digital Surround Sound 5.1 - English
Subtitles - French - Optional
Closed Captioned - English - Optional
Additional Release Material:
Featurettes - 1. Deleted Scenes (12)
2. "Jump-Starting the Future" - Documentary
3. Music Video - Meeky Rosie - "Forever"

No information is available at this time.

Chris Paine

Dean Devlin

3 stars out of 5 -- "Part conspiracy thriller, part cautionary fable, here's an activist movie that might actually raise consciousness and do some good."

Rolling Stone (07/13/2006)

3.5 stars out of 5 -- "[A] fascinating journey....Paine is able to include some shockingly damning material..."

Box Office (07/01/2006)

"A murder mystery, a call to arms and an effective inducement to rage..."

New York Times (06/23/2006)

"[The film] makes you angry, and also sad, to live in a country where innovation could be contrived into an enemy." -- Grade: A-

Entertainment Weekly (07/14/2006)

3 stars out of 5 -- "Chris Paine's documentary is best described as the automotive equivalent of SUPER SIZE ME."

Total Film (08/01/2006)

"[The] film proceeds with a tautly argued logic. Paine has compiled an arsenal of expert opinion..."

Sight and Sound (08/01/2006)

"Paine's documentary identifies, convincingly, several villains in answer to the titular question..."
Premiere (01/01/2007)

4 stars out of 5 -- "[G]enuinely interesting....[The film] benefits greatly from Martin Sheen's enthusiastic narration."
Ultimate DVD (05/01/2007)