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Ratcatcher
First Look Pictures Releasing

Ratcatcher reviews
Critic Score
Metascore: 76 Metascore out of 100
User Score  
9.5 out of 10
based on 20 reviews
Read critic reviews
How did we calculate this?
based on 12 votes
Read user comments
Rate this movie

MPAA 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.


GENRE(S): Drama  
WRITTEN BY: Lynne Ramsay  
DIRECTED BY: Lynne Ramsay  
RELEASE DATE: DVD: August 20, 2002 
Video: August 20, 2002 
Theatrical: October 13, 2000 
RUNNING TIME: 93 minutes, Color 
ORIGIN: UK / France 
LANGUAGE(S): English in Glasgow dialect (with English subtitles) 

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...

90
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
90
Los Angeles Times Kenneth Turan
Bleak childhoods make for the best cinema, and Ratcatcher stands at the head of the class.
Read Full Review
90
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.
88
Chicago Tribune Michael Wilmington
One of the most remarkable English-language feature debuts of recent years.
88
Boston Globe Jay Carr
Fresh, original, and arresting.
83
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
80
Time Richard Corliss
Writer-director Ramsay neither sentimentalizes nor garishes up the lost children in this observant and poetic drama.
Read Full Review
80
Variety David Rooney
There’s 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
80
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.
80
Village Voice Amy Taubin
The most audacious debut feature of the year.
Read Full Review
78
Austin Chronicle Kimberley Jones
An inner-city tragedy that plays its story simply, sorrowfully, and beautifully.
Read Full Review
75
Miami Herald Marta Barber
A brilliant film by Lynne Ramsay.
75
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.
75
New York Daily News Jack Mathews
A grim, poetic, heart-wrenchingly fine ode to the lost children of Glasgow's forgotten class.
75
Portland Oregonian Barry Johnson
A sense of claustrophobia emerges, increases and colonizes the film.
70
TV Guide Ken Fox
For all its harsh realism, the film flows like a dream, albeit a highly unpleasant one.
Read Full Review
70
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
60
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
50
New York Post Lou Lumenick
Has its moments, but overall the effect is uneven.
50
San Francisco Chronicle Mick LaSalle
When it's not awful, it's dull.
Read Full Review

What Our Users Said

Vote Now!The average user rating for this movie is 9.5 (out of 10) based on 12 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

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.

Amerut gave it a 10:
Fantastic!!!!

Read more user comments...

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