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Witness
Metascore
76 out of 100

Generally favorable reviews - based on 14 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 10 out of 14
  2. Mixed: 4 out of 14
  3. Negative: 0 out of 14
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  1. Chicago Sun-Times
    Reviewed by: Roger Ebert
    100
    This is, first of all, an electrifying and poignant love story....And it is also one hell of a thriller.
  2. TV Guide
    Reviewed by: Staff (Not Credited)
    100
    Sure-footed thriller, beautifully photographed, with Ford's best performance thus far.
  3. Empire
    Reviewed by: Ian Nathan
    100
    Arguably Harrison Ford's finest performance, and one of the strongest thrillers to emerge from the heady gloss of the '80s, this is director Peter Weir at his most adept.
  4. Chicago Tribune
    Reviewed by: Gene Siskel
    88
    Witness" is both exciting and thoughtful.... And just as important to moviegoers, Witness is a genuinely gripping thriller. [08 Feb 1985]
    All this critic's reviews
  5. Boston Globe
    Reviewed by: Jay Carr
    88
    Beyond its fresh twists on the cop and romance genres, Witness is, above all, an anti-consumption film. [08 Feb 1985]
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  6. ReelViews
    Reviewed by: James Berardinelli
    88
    Witness states its position about clashing cultures with eloquence.
  7. The Globe and Mail (Toronto)
    Reviewed by: Jay Scott
    88
    Witness is satisfying on so many levels it stands with "Cabaret" and "The Godfather II" as an example of how a director in love with his medium can redeem its mainstream cliches. [07 Feb 1985]
    All this critic's reviews
  8. The New York Times
    Reviewed by: Vincent Canby
    70
    It's not really awful, but it's not much fun. It's pretty to look at and it contains a number of good performances, but there is something exhausting about its neat balancing of opposing manners and values.
  9. Time
    Reviewed by: Richard Schickel
    70
    Witness, which is one of the most originally conceived and gracefully made suspense dramas of recent years, to work into edgy juxtaposition the representatives of two subcultures that are ordinarily mutually exclusive.
  10. Chicago Reader
    Reviewed by: Dave Kehr
    70
    Peter Weir, the standard-bearer of the Australian Tradition of Quality, is on hand to smother all the contrivances in his solemn, academic style, and the result is a moderately effective, highly affected thriller.
  11. Los Angeles Times
    Reviewed by: Sheila Benson
    60
    Although it, too, is gorgeous to look at, this skeletal thriller is as direct and spare as its Mennonites. [08 Feb 1985]
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  12. Variety
    Reviewed by: Staff (Not Credited)
    60
    Witness is at times a gentle, affecting story of star-crossed lovers limited within the fascinating Amish community. Too often, however, this fragile romance is crushed by a thoroughly absurd shoot-em-up, like ketchup poured over a delicate Pennsylvania Dutch dinner.
  13. San Francisco Chronicle
    Reviewed by: Judy Stone
    50
    The new movie eloquently dramatizes the unusual cultural conflicts between contemporary, violent urban life and an archaic rural community with pacifist convictions. [08 Feb 1985]
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  14. Christian Science Monitor
    Reviewed by: David Sterritt
    50
    Along with some creaky plot mechanics in the last third of the story, this reduces the film to ordinary dimensions - a sharp but no longer resonant show.
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User Reviews

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User Score
8.1 out of 10

Universal acclaim- based on 8 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 1 out of 1
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 1
  3. Negative: 0 out of 1
  1. Spielberg00
    8
    This review contains spoilers, click full review link to view. Bottom Line: This has got to be one of Harrison Ford’s best films. Shocking drama/thriller from director Peter Weir and actor Harrison Ford tells of an Amish boy who witnesses a murder in the restroom. When police officer John Book (Ford) becomes aware of this, he cuts immediately to interrogating the bow of what he saw. He asks the boy to try and find one of the two men he saw involved in the crime. This takes a while, but once the boy settles on someone, he is in no way dubious. To say the least, WITNESS was a very tense film. It wasn’t an action flick, but nearly every moment guarantees pounding pulse and racing hearts. So we’ve seen Harrison Ford as an adventurous archaeologist, the President, Chewbacca’s best bud…now a cop? Hmm. What next, a marine? Like all roles, Ford performed well, but he stood out in this film especially. The best thing about WITNESS is Peter Weir’s directing. He cues cutaways, pans, and surprise shots just when we least expect them (or most hope for them). And that’s just part of what makes this a good film to remember.… Full Review »
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