Once in the Life

Los Angeles Times Kevin Thomas

Fishburne excels in his triple-threat roles as actor, director and adapter of his own play, and his cast glows under his direction.

Entertainment Weekly Owen Gleiberman

Showcases a trio of terrific performances.

LA Weekly F. X. Feeney

May lack any transcendent point that would make it exceptional, but it is certainly a worthy start, and worth catching.

Mr. Showbiz Kevin Maynard

Has a credibly gritty texture, thanks in large part to Fishburne's generosity with his fellow actors.

New York Post Lou Lumenick

Basically it's an acting exercise - a one-set rendition of that old stage and movie standby, the ex-convict struggling to go straight who's tempted to attempt one last score.

Chicago Tribune Michael Wilmington

Strong, hard, dirty, funny, moving atmospheric and laced with scabrously musical street dialogue.

New York Daily News Jack Mathews

As urban gangster drama, Once in the Life is way below mundane, and Fishburne's direction exceeds the rookie jitters.

Chicago Sun-Times Roger Ebert

The movie remains an actor's exercise--too much dialogue, too much time in the room, too much happening offstage, or in the past, or in memory, or in imagination.

Seattle Post-Intelligencer Sean Axmaker

If Laurence Fishburne could only have harnessed his fierce performance to drive his directoral debut, Once in the Life might have made something memorable of the done-to-death tale of small-time crooks on the run after a heist gone wrong.

Village Voice Michael Atkinson

While the line-readings are often dead-on, Fishburne's movie suffers from the usual one-room claustrophobia and Mametian repetitions.

Variety Robert Koehler

A film that ultimately feels stagebound and excessively talky, but which showcases an exceptional performance.

TV Guide Ken Fox

The good news is that Fishburne also stars, and has recruited a talented group of actors to flesh out the cast; the bad news is that no one seems to have been on hand to help out with the rest of film.

Film.com Henry Cabot Beck

Doesn't have a lot to offer that hasn't been done better -- and worse -- in hundreds of ghetto-sink shoot-em-ups.

The New York Times Dana Stevens

(Fishburne's) performance here, witty and profane, vulnerable and strutting, nearly holds the movie together.