Regarded as Emile de Antonio's best – and most politically effective – work, In the Year of the Pig was also at the vanguard of American documentaries arguing unequivocally against U.S. policy in Vietnam. The provocatively titled documentary is as much a cool, intellectual work of cinematic art as it is a hot piece of agit-prop. In making a film that conveyed the historical background of the war in Vietnam while also compelling people to turn against American military involvement, de Antonio brought together massive film documentation and daring cinematic form. Pauline Kael's review brought de Antonio public attention. "Taking footage from all over," she wrote, "he has made a strong film that does what American television has failed to do."