Review: Overall, The Camden 28 is a very entertaining, technically sound, and nicely constructed documentary.  I might even go as far as to write it is exactly the type of documentary to watch if you enjoy this Web site: it's well made, it's moving, and it unobtrusively asks viewers to make an honest investment into the story being presented. The film immediately jumps right into the story, beginning with jarring images from the Vietnam War and wasting no time in asking the audience to what lengths would they go to stop what they considered senseless killing in an unjust war.  From there, the film holds a steady pace, explaining the protesters' motives, steadily tracing the background of the numerous draft board raids in that era, and why the titular group chose Camden. The covert group of underdogs story is interesting from the start, but the intensity and drama grow significantly when the link to the group's nemesis, the FBI, turns out to be as wild of a plot point as anything in the story. With plenty of still images and news footage from the time available for use, the director was able to very creatively weave the story together using a nice variety of visuals.  Astonishing video of riots during the era, images of Camden, NJ in disarray, and photographs showing the 28 in their heyday all helped keep the story visually moving. The viewer gets a chance to see many of the 28 at moments throughout the film, but the central focus lies with a few of the featured members, including some who were very well spoken and helped convey their personal aspects of the story with truth, humor and a well earned sense of reflection after more than three decades.  Hearing many of the 28 talk about the lengthy trial and why they did what they did added a lot of depth to the story, and getting to watch the group reunite at the sight of the raid and trial was a nice touch. The documentary was also commendable for showing multiple viewpoints offered by those involved.  Yes, the FBI agents who were involved before and during the raid, and prosecutors who took a prominent role in the trial were not given an equal amount of time as the few featured members of the Camden 28, but since the story is named after the group of protesters, it makes sense that they fill up the majority of the time. At under 85 minutes, the documentary is not too long, it's not really preachy and its subjects offer a very human side to a story that admittedly sounds at first like it will have too many characters to make a good film. Review by Ryan Pollyea Entertainment: 4.5- The story and its plot changes keep the viewer attached and ready for more Informative: 4- Everything is covered from other draft board raids to even minute details of the trial and it gives the feeling nothing is missed Technical: 4- With the exception of an interview or two with really soft focus, the film nicely combines new footage with film from decades ago Overall: 4- Definitely for you if you're interested in 20th Century US History, the history of war protests or just really good short documentaries
 
Format: DVD Year: 2007 Running Time: 83 minutes Distributor: First Run Features Producer: Anthony Giacchino, Pelin Levend-Giacchino Director: Anthony Giacchino Date Reviewed: 6/21/09 Story: The Camden 28 tells the story of a group of citizens who opposed the nation's participation in the Vietnam War and who sought to make a stand by raiding a draft board office in Camden, New Jersey.  The film details the planning of the event, how the group comprised mainly of (devout) Catholics, was caught in the act by the FBI and they trial that followed which ended up becoming a landmark of the anti-war movement in the early 1970's.