Like Crysania, I didn't really watch or read the original ones so this was new to me. And I'll say, I really enjoyed this movie. I really didn't expect the movie to be that good.

Um bom filme, que mostra uma realidade que ninguém nunca imaginou para uma criança, muito menos para uma como Oliver Twist.
Esse filme transpira emoção e drama, não um tipo enjoativo de drama, mas algo que se quer saber mais, procurar sobre a história, ler o livro.
É uma pena que o livro deixe a desejar, neste caso.

The best of Polanski, perhaps as good as Chinatown.

The movie is boring. The book is much better than this adaptation. I expected more, there are no pleasure in this film. It

This is a good film. Despite the fact that I already knew the story, I was not bored for a minute. This film really transports you to the London of the 1800's! It's dirty and grim and definitly not a tourist's vision of the city. The actors are all good, particularly Kingsley as Fagin and Barney Clark as Oliver. The film is not for everyone and it certainly isn't a "feel good" extravaganza like the 1968 musical "Oliver" directed by Carol Reed. Kids will probably be bored but adults will like it. Most of the reviews of this film are far too negative.… Expand

A dreadful movie that bores the audience throughout. The child has about 1/8th the talent of other budding child movie starlets such as Freddie Highmore or Dakota Fanning. The story is lost in the dreary, unimaginative sets and the lack of emotion in the film itself is troubling.

If you expect the singalong jollity that Oliver! delivered don't watch this version. This film offers the viewer a valid interpretation of life in those times. The sets are by no means polished stages, these come across as real muddy streets filled with violent drunkards and brutes. Not that there aren't any compassionate characters, for there are a few - but they are strikingly naive in their expectations of the behaviour of others. The actors in this film are not larger than the roles they are playing - and that adds to the realism. Kingsley's Fagin is not the lovable entertainer portrayed by Moody - but his is far more appropriate. I think Dickens would approve.… Expand

A totally engrossing, lustrous cinematic materpiece!! Instead of a stuffy, reverential adaptation, Polanski breathes life and contemporary meaning to the harrowing story of Oliver Twist. The film is loaded with magnificent performances, including Sir Ben Kingsley as a pitiable Fagin. The viewer is transported into another world as the production stunningly re-creates both the Dickensian grime and fussiness. Highly recommend.… Expand

A fantastic film.

Polanski follows up Ocar winning "The Pianist" - a vivid portrayal of Holocaust survivor, Wladyslaw Szpilman - with a survival story adapted from classic literature - "Oliver Twist". The director brings all his dark wit and visual mastery to the story of a young orphan boy who struggles to survive cruely, deprivation and violence. A refreshing;y fun film film to watch. Astonishing performances by a wonderful ensemble of British actors, led by the incomparable Ben Kingsley.… Expand

A very personal take on Oliver Twist for Polanski, full of emotions, similar to the Pianist, where people look at life through windows, little Oliver on the road gathers all good and positive aspects of life through his adventures, near masterpiece, cinema at its best!!

I just couldn't get into it. None of the characters connected with me. I actually turned off the DVD about two-thirds of the way through, and never finished it, because I was bored.

Frightening! That was very disturbing. Don't see it! I'm telling you that you'll be sorry. In my top 10 of most disturbing films ever made!

Lots of people who had reviewed this movie would compare it either with the book, adapted play or previous films. As I did not have any prior experience with any of those materials, I could do an unbias review. Boring was the verdict. Although the acting was good, the production lavish and good directing from Polanski, it failed to exhume any feelings I may have had for any of those characters except for a brief interlude at the end. Best to watch it with the sub-titles on.… Expand

Reading the film critics, their main grip seems to be that "Oliver Twist" is not polenskian enough. How about Dickensian? Is anything wrong with a good narrative and lovely cinematography?