Death and the Maiden
Death and the Maiden Image
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Metascore
72 out of 100

Generally favorable reviews - based on 19 Critics What's this?

User Score
7.8 out of 10

Generally favorable reviews- based on 9 Ratings

Your Score
0 out of 10
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  • Starring: Ben Kingsley, Sigourney Weaver
  • Summary: A chance encounter enables a woman to turn the tables on the sadistic doctor who tortured her 15 years earlier.
    (New Line Cinema)

Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 15 out of 19
  2. Mixed: 4 out of 19
  3. Negative: 0 out of 19
  1. Seattle Post-Intelligencer
    Reviewed by: William Arnold
    100
    It's an immensely successful movie - and far and away the most emotionally charged, psychologically uneasy and diabolically suspenseful thriller Polanski's made since his heyday. [27 Jan 1995, p. 26]
    All this critic's reviews
  2. The New York Times
    Reviewed by: Caryn James
    80
    Mr. Polanski's brilliance with the camera turns Ariel Dorfman's well-meaning but pretentious play about human rights into a harrowing experience.
  3. Empire
    Reviewed by: Kim Newman
    80
    Even by their high standards, the performances of Weaver and Kingsley here are impressive, and Polanski ratchetts up the tension nicely. A chilling and thought-provoking piece.
  4. Washington Post
    Reviewed by: Hal Hinson
    60
    Polanski stages some lovely moments, particularly Paulina's candlelit dinner in her closet. But he also undercuts the high-minded ideals of Dorfman's original by exposing its radical chic pretentions.

See all 19 Critic Reviews

User Reviews

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Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 3 out of 4
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 4
  3. Negative: 0 out of 4
  1. Hyliad
    9
    Simply awesome: one place only, but... The film is smart and leaded by three amazing actors. The highlight are the numerous dialogues between complicated characters, with every defends his own point of view. And no flashback, no "tadam!" revelations, the viewer makes his own reflections, and it's the evidence it is a good movie...… Expand
  2. JayH
    7
    Intense and compelling, excellent direction by Roman Polanski. Sigourney Weaver and Ben Kingsley are amazing. Never a dull moment, very fast pacing. Fascinating story. I was not fully satisfied by the ending, but not sure if there would be any better way… Collapse
  3. MartyG
    6
    The issue is very real but this movie treatment is too obvious in its plot development and the ending just fades away. Weaver is not convincing, her husband has no spine, they have no chemistry. Kingsley makes it watchable.… Expand
  4. JaredC.
    4
    I couldn't wait tell this movie came out on DVD, until I found nothing in the store but boring old 1940 movies. Two years later I found it in a store, but that was a time that I didn't have much taste or appetite for that kind of genre. But I watched it and I didn't mind it but could need some work on a few things.… Expand

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