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Ratcatcher

EMAILPRINTFirst Look Pictures Releasing

Ratcatcher reviews
76
9.6 User Score:

Generally favorable reviews

Based on 20 critic reviews
How did we calculate this?

Based on 13 votes
Read user comments
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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...

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.

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90

Los Angeles Times Kenneth Turan

Bleak childhoods make for the best cinema, and Ratcatcher stands at the head of the class.

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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.

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80

Time Richard Corliss

Writer-director Ramsay neither sentimentalizes nor garishes up the lost children in this observant and poetic drama.

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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.

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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.

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78

Austin Chronicle Kimberley Jones

An inner-city tragedy that plays its story simply, sorrowfully, and beautifully.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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