The Winslow Boy
User Score
8.7 out of 10

Universal acclaim- based on 7 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 7 out of 7
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 7
  3. Negative: 0 out of 7

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  1. ChadS.
    Sep 6, 2004
    6
    For the same reason Martin Scorsese's take on Edith Wharton disappointed me, David Mamet's "The Winslow Boy", while admirably atypical of the celebrated playwright's filmography, like Scorsese, you miss the lowlifes, the profanity spoken by the lowlifes, and frankly, the twentieth century where the lowlifes scheme and practice theivery. "The Winslow Boy" is probably a film best appreciated by those who knew Mamet's name before his debut feature "House of Games". This is probably a great film, but costumed British period-pieces are not easy for me to sit through. What's next? Michael Mann's "Hedda Gabler"? … Expand
  2. PatC.
    Dec 19, 2003
    9
    A dry meaningful movie with no frills. It's about taking a stand whatever the cost, and the unattractiveness of being a hero. The framework of a family in chaos is so well established that it seems unlikely life will turn into a fairy tale existence at the end, as is implied.

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
79 out of 100

Generally favorable reviews - based on 28 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 26 out of 28
  2. Mixed: 2 out of 28
  3. Negative: 0 out of 28
  1. USA Today
    Reviewed by: Mike Clark
    75
    In the movie's high point, (Jeremy) Northam conducts an antagonistic interview with the boy, who eludes well-placed lawyerly traps.
  2. San Francisco Chronicle
    Reviewed by: Edward Guthmann
    75
    A study in unexpressed emotion, but Mamet turns the flame so low that his film lacks the emotional payoff we expect.
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  3. The Globe and Mail (Toronto)
    Reviewed by: Rick Groen
    88
    The result is a rare treat, a revival of a period piece that doesn't descend into mere quaintness or prettiness, and that manages to capture the spirit of an earlier time without sacrificing the perspective of our own.
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