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80% Critic Match
The Lie Detector
“A Truly Unbelievable Story”
8.0 / 10• 2023• 53m•NR• English
DocumentaryHistory
Storyline
In the first decades of the 20th century, when life was being transformed by scientific innovations, researchers made a thrilling new claim: they could tell whether someone was lying by using a machine. Popularly known as the “lie detector,” the device transformed police work, seized headlines and was extolled in movies, TV and comics as an infallible crime-fighting tool. Husbands and wives tested each other’s fidelity. Corporations routinely tested employees’ honesty and government workers were tested for loyalty and “morals.” But the promise of the polygraph turned dark, and the lie detector too often became an apparatus of fear and intimidation. Written and directed by Rob Rapley and executive produced by Cameo George, The Lie Detector is a tale of good intentions, twisted morals and unintended consequences.
Cast & Crew
Andre Braugher
Narrator (voice)
LeadWhat People Are Saying
4.0
“A staggering achievement of craft and ambition. Rob Rapley's vision lands with breathtaking precision.”
4.0
“Every frame feels alive. The Lie Detector is the rare release that takes its audience seriously.”
