Kite Runner, The

Chicago Sun-Times Roger Ebert

Like "House of Sand and Fog" and "Man Push Cart," it helps us to understand that the newcomers among us come from somewhere and are somebody.

Philadelphia Inquirer Carrie Rickey

Whatever our misfortune, The Kite Runner says, sometimes we are fortunate enough to get a second chance to make amends for a first mistake.

ReelViews James Berardinelli

At times brutal, at times touching, the movie stands out as one of the better "prestige" productions offered for cinematic consumption during the waning weeks of 2007.

Portland Oregonian Shawn Levy

In the main, this is powerful and comely filmmaking, and the decision to shoot it with virtually unknown actors and a variety of unfamiliar tongues is commendable.

Empire Dan Jolin

An engaging melodrama whose less convincing plot points are superseded by some astonishingly affecting performances from the mostly unknown cast.

Time Richard Schickel

This is a confident and honorable movie -- and a gripping one.

Variety Alissa Simon

While the largely unknown cast and subtitled dialogue may present a marketing challenge, they also create a feeling of authenticity in this poignant, intimate epic, which should attract a strong following among discerning audiences.

New York Magazine David Edelstein

The Afghan boys’ kite-flying contests are the emotional core of the film, and Forster and his crew bring the camera into the sky and make it dip and soar along with the kites. It’s a thrilling spectacle, although it’s also tinged with a peculiarly emasculating aggression.

Washington Post Ann Hornaday

For all the pain and loss that The Kite Runner depicts, it is still a film of exhilarating, redemptive humanity, conveying an enduring sense of hope.

Entertainment Weekly Lisa Schwarzbaum

In making a movie about the hot mess of Afghan history, a sense of reserve turns out to be a useful tool for peace.

USA Today Claudia Puig

A compelling and uplifting tale that exposes the viewer to an unfamiliar, fascinating culture and a family dynamic that is recognizable and nuanced.

Rolling Stone Peter Travers

Both boys give such heart-rending performances that fear of reprisals for participating in the scene persuaded the studio to postpone the film's release to give them time to leave Kabul.

Charlotte Observer Lawrence Toppman

The book's emotional passages have the power to move us on film, while the one ridiculous coincidence near the end is still ridiculous.

Christian Science Monitor Peter Rainer

This is one of those stories that, on some primal level, goes straight to the heart. Be aware that the film features a child rape scene.

Baltimore Sun Michael Sragow

he Kite Runner lives in the galvanic performances of two young Afghan actors, Zekeria Ebrahimi and Ahmad Khan Mahmidzada. They bring home the torment of Afghan life before and after the Taliban and, just as important, the resilience of children everywhere.

The Globe and Mail (Toronto) Rick Groen

The movie doesn't have the heart of the book, but it does have a solid mechanical pump, strong enough at least to keep a robust story on two-hour life support.

New York Post Lou Lumenick

It's what Hollywood calls a 'tweener - not quite edgy or artistic enough to satisfy the art-house crowd, but a tough sell for family audiences because of its extensive subtitles, two-hour-plus running time, and a (tastefully rendered) male rape scene.

Newsweek David Ansen

Forster's solid, unpretentious movie hits its marks squarely, and isn't afraid to wear its heart on its sleeve. Only a mighty tough viewer could fail to be moved.

Seattle Post-Intelligencer William Arnold

Only a qualified success. It suffers in its transition from page to film, and my guess is that its devoted fan base will think the adaptation misses the mark by more than a few inches.

New York Daily News Jack Mathews

This is an eye-opening story that doesn't quite hold together as a movie, but it deals with honor in men's lives in ways rare to mainstream film.

Boston Globe Ty Burr

I'm of two minds about this. A movie that held on to all the breathless tearjerkery of the novel would probably have to star Bette Davis as Amir, but as amended by Forster the story is now touching and somewhat dull.

Los Angeles Times Kenneth Turan

The Kite Runner is a house divided against itself. The Marc Forster-directed version of the Khaled Hosseini novel does one part of the story so well that its success underlines what's lacking in what remains.

San Francisco Chronicle Mick LaSalle

The terseness of Hosseini's prose has been replaced by the sentimentality of the director's approach.

TV Guide Ken Fox

In real life the opportunity to make amends is rare, though the attempt may produce great art. In The Kite Runner, we get neither.

Miami Herald Rene Rodriguez

The Kite Runner is earnest and sentimental and formulaic and obvious. Watching it, I could understand the fuss over Khaled Hosseini's bestselling novel, but the film didn't make me want to read it. That's not a slam against the book, but a way of illustrating just how literal and bland the film adaptation turned out.

Austin Chronicle Steve Davis

An example of how good intentions don’t necessarily make for a good movie.

Wall Street Journal Joe Morgenstern

The only reliable source of energy is Homayoun Ershadi, a powerful actor who plays Baba, Amir's Westernized father.

Chicago Reader J.R. Jones

I'd recommend this, but only if you liked "The English Patient."

The Onion (A.V. Club) Keith Phipps

It's okay to be manipulated, so long as you don't feel the strings being pulled. Here the tug is constant, and constantly distracting.

Chicago Tribune Michael Phillips

While not autobiographical, The Kite Runner feels authentic in its ethnic tensions, even when the narrative itself, with its handily reappearing and easily avenged villain, undermines that authenticity.

The New Yorker David Denby

The movie’s heart is certainly in the right place--it’s a quietly outraged work--but I wish there were more excitement in it from moment to moment.

Village Voice Ella Taylor

A drama as bland and beige as its tasteful palette.

Salon.com Andrew O'Hehir

What results is a patchy, uncertain motion picture, full of incidents and images but fundamentally unfocused and superficial.

The New York Times Manohla Dargis

Mr. Forster, who previously directed “Monster’s Ball” and “Finding Neverland,” has been soundly defeated by The Kite Runner. Despite the film’s far-flung locations (it was shot primarily in China), there is remarkably little of visual interest here; the setups are banal, and the scenes lack tension, which no amount of editing can provide.