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Ratcatcher
EMAILPRINTFirst Look Pictures Releasing

Generally favorable reviews
Based on 20 critic reviews
How did we calculate this?
Based on 13 votes
Read user comments
Rate this movie >
Movie Info
Genre(s): Drama
Written by: Lynne Ramsay
Directed by: Lynne Ramsay
Release Date:
Theatrical: October 13, 2000
DVD: August 20, 2002
Running Time: 93 minutes, Color
Origin: UK / France
Language(s): English in Glasgow dialect (with English subtitles)
Summary
RATING: Not rated
Starring William Eadie, Tommy Flanagan, Mandy Matthews, and Michelle Stewart
The story of a twelve year old boy (Eadie) living in working-class Glasgow, Scotland during the 1970's garbage strikes, Ratcatcher portrays the difficulties of his reality and his desire to escape through dreams.
What The Critics Said
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...
LA Weekly John Patterson
Ramsay has made a movie in which a universe of hopelessness and decay is penetrated by shafts of light that remake these bleak surroundings in strange and beautiful ways.
Read Full Review >Los Angeles Times Kenneth Turan
Bleak childhoods make for the best cinema, and Ratcatcher stands at the head of the class.
Read Full Review >Mr. Showbiz Michael Atkinson
Easily the best directorial debut of the year, and possibly the most mature and haunting film to ever come out of Scotland, Lynne Ramsay's Ratcatcher is a throat-catching masterpiece of lyricism, observation, and stone-cold realism.
Chicago Tribune Michael Wilmington
One of the most remarkable English-language feature debuts of recent years.
Boston Globe Jay Carr
Fresh, original, and arresting.
Seattle Post-Intelligencer Paula Nechak
The film manages to make the ordinary extraordinary. It takes visual risks, tells its story subjectively through images and moves confidently to a stunning, imaginative climax.
Read Full Review >Time Richard Corliss
Writer-director Ramsay neither sentimentalizes nor garishes up the lost children in this observant and poetic drama.
Read Full Review >Variety David Rooney
Theres a light touch in evidence, balancing the bleakness with odd lyrical moments and unexpected humor and tenderness that infuse the gentle drama with a bracing freshness.
Read Full Review >Film.com Robert Horton
The bleakness of the material ought to make Ratcatcher a depressing experience, yet Ramsay's power as an image-crafter transforms this grim universe.
Austin Chronicle Kimberley Jones
An inner-city tragedy that plays its story simply, sorrowfully, and beautifully.
Read Full Review >Miami Herald Marta Barber
A brilliant film by Lynne Ramsay.
Philadelphia Inquirer Carrie Rickey
Ramsay's child actors are nonprofessionals who can only express what they feel which gives her film an unusual degree of emotional authenticity.
New York Daily News Jack Mathews
A grim, poetic, heart-wrenchingly fine ode to the lost children of Glasgow's forgotten class.
Portland Oregonian Barry Johnson
A sense of claustrophobia emerges, increases and colonizes the film.
TV Guide Ken Fox
For all its harsh realism, the film flows like a dream, albeit a highly unpleasant one.
Read Full Review >The New York Times A.O. Scott
The power of Ratcatcher comes from its hushed lyricism and Ms. Ramsay's talent for conveying emotional complexity.
Read Full Review >Salon.com Charles Taylor
A large part of the movie's problem is that both the characters and the actors who portray them serve as vehicles for Ramsay's stylistic flourishes.
Read Full Review >New York Post Lou Lumenick
Has its moments, but overall the effect is uneven.
What Our Users Said
The average user rating for this movie is 9.6 (out of 10) based on 13 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.
gail k gave it a10:
This is an amazing debut art film about poverty and the beauty of the human spirit to find happiness in difficult places.
Ian W. gave it a 9:
Wonderful, understated debut. not to be missed.
Jennifer B. gave it a 10:
Hard to watch, but a thought-provoking, intense film.
Caleb P. gave it a 10:
If i were to make a film it would be this one. honest portrait of working class britain under Tory rule in the 1970's.
Christelle de C. gave it a 10:
This film was raw and honest. above that, the shots were absolutely beautiful.
Lenore S. gave it a 10:
Excellent! pace is slow and requires you to think but the lighting, characters, lines, etc. - very original filmmaking and beautiful style.
Robin D. gave it a 10:
Loved this movie.
