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73
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71
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71
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70
Vicky Cristina Barcelona
65
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull
64
Wanted
64
Pineapple Express
63
Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2, The
61
Incredible Hulk, The
60
Traitor
57
Journey to the Center of the Earth 3D
55
House Bunny, The
54
You Don't Mess with the Zohan
54
Get Smart
53
Sex and the City: The Movie
53
Rocker, The
52
Longshots, The
51
Mamma Mia!
51
Step Brothers
49
Hancock
47
Swing Vote
47
X-Files: I Want to Believe, The
43
Meet Dave
42
Death Race
36
Space Chimps
36
Fly Me to the Moon
35
Star Wars: The Clone Wars
35
Mirrors
34
Happening, The
31
Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor, The
26
Babylon A.D.
24
Love Guru, The
19
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Man on Wire
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Edge of Heaven, The
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Up the Yangtze
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Flight of the Red Balloon, The
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Momma's Man
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Alexandra
83
U2 3D
83
Tell No One
82
Frozen River
81
Trouble the Water
80
Encounters at the End of the World
80
Bigger, Stronger, Faster*
80
Order of Myths, The
79
Visitor, The
78
Roman Polanski: Wanted and Desired
78
Last Mistress, The
77
Pool, The
76
I Served the King of England
75
Young@Heart
75
Boy A
74
Anita O'Day: The Life of a Jazz Singer
74
Mongol
73
Gonzo: The Life and Work of Dr. Hunter S. Thompson
73
Secret, A
72
Priceless
72
Transsiberian
72
I.O.U.S. A
71
To the Limit
71
Girl Cut in Two, A
71
Roman de gare
70
Love Songs
67
XXY
67
Jellyfish
66
Elegy
66
Patti Smith: Dream of Life
66
American Teen
66
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65
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64
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Fall, The
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Sixty Six
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Save Me
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25
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Beer for My Horses
Stars indicate the most critically-acclaimed movies.
|
Criminal
Warner Bros.
FILM:
MPAA RATING: R for language
Starring
John C. Reilly,
Diego Luna,
Maggie Gyllenhaal,
Jonathan Tucker,
Peter Mullan,
Zitto Kazann,
Maeve Quinlan,
and
Brent Sexton
Set in Los Angeles over the course of 24 hours, Criminal follows a day in the life of two smalltime bunco artists who stumble upon a foolproof, and extremely lucrative, scam. (Warner Bros.)
| GENRE(S): |
Drama
|
Suspense/Thriller
|
| WRITTEN BY: |
Gregory Jacobs
Steven Soderbergh
Fabián Bielinsky (film Nueve Reinas)
|
| DIRECTED BY: |
Gregory Jacobs
|
| RELEASE DATE: |
DVD: April 12, 2005
Theatrical: September 10, 2004
|
| RUNNING TIME: |
87 minutes, Color |
| ORIGIN: |
USA |

All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...
80
LA Weekly
Scott Foundas
The cast is brilliant, not least of all Reilly -- vaguely despicable, smooth as an oil slick and altogether mesmerizing in the most impressive screen performance he's yet given.

80
Los Angeles Times
Carina Chocano
Captures Los Angeles in a straightforward, naturalistic way, neighborhood-hopping like a native.

75
ReelViews
James Berardinelli
A respectable caper movie in the tradition of "The Sting" and David Mamet's "Heist."

75
New York Daily News
Jami Bernard
The movie is fast and fun. Best of all are the actors, who likewise seem to know they've lucked into a rare good gig.

75
Baltimore Sun
Chris Kaltenbach
The performances of Luna and, especially, Reilly, make the film more enthralling than it perhaps deserves to be.

75
Boston Globe
Wesley Morris
Just as exciting and socially vivid as Bielinsky's. Yet, somehow it's more stressful. The American characters practically sweat desperation.

75
Philadelphia Inquirer
Carrie Rickey
Apart from Luna's exquisitely subtle performance, Criminal's strongest suit is the so-artless-it's-artful cinematography by Chris Menges, which gives the impression of being shot by a fly on the wall. Similarly, Alex Wurman's jazz-infused score contributes to the improvisational atmosphere.

75
New York Post
Lou Lumenick
Jacobs keeps the action moving rapidly and gets solid performances from an ensemble cast, especially the rumpled Reilly.

70
New York Magazine
Peter Rainer
Taut and straightforward and a little grungy, which is how these movies ought to be.

70
Washington Post
Ann Hornaday
The main reason to see Criminal isn't for the mental workout it might offer but simply to watch these two appealing performers act and act and act.

70
Washington Post
Desson Thomson
Reilly and Luna make a chemically appealing screen team. Reilly, one of the best working actors in the indie side of things, is wonderfully world-weary, manipulative and roguishly charming.

70
The New York Times
Stephen Holden
Even with its tepid lead performance, Criminal is a clever and diverting caper film. At least, it is as long as you don't think too hard about it.

67
Austin Chronicle
Marjorie Baumgarten
Movies about cons, if well done, are hard to resist – and such is the case with Criminal.

67
Entertainment Weekly
Lisa Schwarzbaum
The performances are winning -- Gyllenhaal is particularly sharp as an aggrieved sibling, and there's mutual zing in her scenes with Reilly.

67
Portland Oregonian
Karen Karbo
The resulting film, while derivative, is worth the price of admission.

63
Premiere
Aaron Hillis
Subtly gaining momentum as it dexterously glides through pages of good-time, snappy dialogue, Criminal offers no time to catch your breath, let alone enough to think through its reality-stretching story flaws and subtext-lacking motives.

63
USA Today
Mike Clark
The casting falters on every level compared with Queens.

63
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)
Liam Lacey
Jacobs is a competent director but he doesn't bring anything extra to this shell game of a narrative.

63
Chicago Sun-Times
Roger Ebert
Since you have probably not seen "Nine Queens," Criminal will be new to you, and I predict you'll like the remake about as much as I liked the original -- three stars' worth. If, however, you've seen "Nine Queens," you may agree that some journeys, however entertaining, need only be taken once.

60
Chicago Reader
Jonathan Rosenbaum
The filmmakers have lovingly retained and expanded on that film's only flaws, some implausible plot details. But even without the same cultural significance, it's still a good story, and the interesting cast.

60
The Hollywood Reporter
Frank Scheck
Although Criminal retains its source material's cleverness and intricate plotting, something seems to have been lost in the translation.

60
Variety
Ken Eisner
More a tribute than a remake, Steven Soderbergh-approved take on Argentine hit "Nine Queens" isn't quite as sharp or surprising as the original, one of the best scam pics of the past decade.

60
Village Voice
Mark Holcomb
He (Jacobs) and cinematographer Chris Menges compose the film largely in close-ups, and the effect is appropriately unnerving. Regardless, unfavorable comparisons to "Nine Queens" are inevitable.

60
Empire
Adam Smith
Apart from an irritating plot glitch this is a solidly entertaining ride, more than competently directed and played.

60
TV Guide
Maitland McDonagh
The remake is infinitely more entertaining if you haven't seen "Nine Queens" -- the details are different, but the surprises are the same and something of the first film's underlying darkness has been lost in translation.

58
Seattle Post-Intelligencer
Paula Nechak
The film is inherently calculated and cold, so smugly satisfied with itself and its surprise final trick that it seems to be running its own con to convince us the script's house of cards is actually substantial, original and slick.

50
Dallas Observer
Bill Gallo
This plodding mediocrity displays none of the flair or the compelling trickery that enlivened its 2002 prototype.

50
Christian Science Monitor
David Sterritt
Effective at times, and Gyllenhaal shows a new side of her talent, but the main impression is of first-rate performers doing second-rate work.

50
Rolling Stone
Peter Travers
Here's the problem: The movie was made just four years ago by Argentinian director Fabian Bielinsky. It is called "Nine Queens," and it is vastly superior to this blah U.S. remake from director Gregory Jacobs.

50
Chicago Tribune
Sid Smith
Criminal is an exercise where viewers are likely to ponder not "How did the characters do it?" but "Who cares?"

50
The Onion (A.V. Club)
Scott Tobias
Without any glimmers of depth or subtext.

50
San Francisco Chronicle
Carla Meyer
The problems lie not with the actors but with a glib approach that exposes the flaws of the original story.

50
Charlotte Observer
Lawrence Toppman
In the end, coincidence undoes Criminal.

50
Miami Herald
Rene Rodriguez
Criminal is happy to reprise Fabian Bielinsky's original note for note, and it's a listless, dutiful affair -- a cover version played out of obligation, not inspiration.

50
Film Threat
Christopher Zinsli
Can be fun. Just don’t think about it too hard.


The average user rating for this movie is 5.4 (out of 10) based on 9 User Votes
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