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Suzhou River
Metascore
76 out of 100

Generally favorable reviews - based on 18 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 16 out of 18
  2. Mixed: 2 out of 18
  3. Negative: 0 out of 18
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  1. L.A. Weekly
    Reviewed by: Ella Taylor
    90
    A waterlogged little jewel of a Chinese movie that you must rush out and see at once or else.
  2. Film.com
    Reviewed by: Peter Brunette
    90
    A delight to the eye, ear, and mind
  3. Time
    Reviewed by: Richard Corliss
    90
    Whatever city this one is showing in...move there.
  4. Mr. Showbiz
    Reviewed by: Michael Atkinson
    89
    Suzhou River might be more pulpy than profound, but it still sings its old song better than we've heard in years.
  5. Portland Oregonian
    Reviewed by: Kim Morgan
    83
    Seems deeply influenced by American film noir, the Western fairy tale (in this case, mermaids) and the works of Alfred Hitchcock in particular.
    All this critic's reviews
  6. Los Angeles Times
    Reviewed by: Kenneth Turan
    80
    Daring and edgy, it's a German co-production (critical for avoiding censorship) that's filled with the intoxicating excitement of creating images for the screen.
  7. Variety
    Reviewed by: David Rooney
    80
    A compelling story of love and obsession whose progress mirrors the sinuous flow of the Shanghai waterway that supplies its title.
  8. Washington Post
    Reviewed by: Desson Thomson
    80
    A Chinese film whose simple surface belies greater mysteries.
  9. Christian Science Monitor
    Reviewed by: David Sterritt
    75
    This offbeat Chinese production is at once an innovative art film, a traditional suspense yarn, and a moody voyage through Shanghai's gritty back roads.
  10. Miami Herald
    Reviewed by: Marta Barber
    75
    Deliciously confusing.
  11. New York Daily News
    Reviewed by: Jami Bernard
    75
    This Asian-flavored Hitchcock is a complicated tale with no easy answers.
  12. New York Post
    Reviewed by: Lou Lumenick
    75
    This intriguing film is the best variation on "Vertigo" since Brian DePalma's far more polished "Obsession" (1976), which ranks with the best Hitchcock knockoffs of all time.
    All this critic's reviews
  13. San Francisco Chronicle
    Reviewed by: Peter Stack
    75
    The film is energized by the naturalness of its characters and the way in which it plays a game of mixed signals and double illusions.
  14. Seattle Post-Intelligencer
    Reviewed by: William Arnold
    75
    Casts a dreamy romantic spell that lingers pleasantly in the mind for a long time after experiencing it.
  15. The New York Times
    Reviewed by: Dana Stevens
    70
    Mr. Lou lets it play on for too long. Suzhou River offers impeccable attitude and captivating atmosphere, but little emotional or intellectual impact.
  16. Entertainment Weekly
    Reviewed by: Owen Gleiberman
    67
    Has more atmosphere than it does coherence; it's a series of floating tricks and gambits in search of a resolution. Even so, Ye's ''Vertigo'' fever is contagious.
  17. TV Guide
    Reviewed by: Ken Fox
    60
    A little too derivative of much better movies to succeed on its own. However, in the context of recent Chinese movies, it's a pretty amazing piece of work.
  18. Village Voice
    Reviewed by: J. Hoberman
    50
    A ghost story that's shot as though it were a documentary -- and a documentary that feels like a dream. Almost too fashionable for its own good.
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