Black Sea
Focus Features | Release Date: January 23, 2015 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
62
METASCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 33 Critic Reviews
Positive:
20
Mixed:
13
Negative:
0
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
88
New York PostKyle SmithJan 21, 2015
Not that a film as taut and exciting as this one needs punchy dialogue, but Black Sea has that, too. Read full review
83
The A.V. ClubA.A. Dowd Jan 22, 2015
Macdonald exhibits a rewarding interest in the mechanics of running a sub—the complicated series of manual-labor tasks and coordinated analog processes required to keep one of these mighty boats afloat. It’s a submarine movie that cares how submarines work. Read full review
80
New York Magazine (Vulture)David EdelsteinJan 23, 2015
Since washing out as a pretty-boy leading man, Law is what he always should have been: a high-strung character actor. In Black Sea, he’s convincingly hard, like Jason Statham with more vocal colors and without the shtick. Read full review
80
Time Out LondonTrevor JohnstonDec 2, 2014
Black Sea runs a few fathoms short of classic status. But its blend of old-fashioned storytelling values and zeitgeisty relevance make it a worthy addition to sub-aquatic cinema’s nerve-juddering legacy. Read full review
80
EmpireNev PierceDec 1, 2014
Though it perhaps inevitably lives in the shadow of some subgenre masterpieces, Black Sea is a superbly shot men-on-a-mission thriller with chest-tightening tension and a striking contemporary resonance. Read full review
75
Philadelphia InquirerSteven ReaFeb 2, 2015
With creepy sound effects (thuds and clangs and groans, oh my) and a mounting - make that sinking - sense of dread, Black Sea is at once fist-clenchingly suspenseful and, well, dull. Read full review
75
Christian Science MonitorPeter RainerJan 30, 2015
A standout is Ben Mendelsohn’s Aussie nutcase. Read full review
75
ReelViewsJames BerardinelliJan 29, 2015
Black Sea contains its share of fantastical elements and the ending in particular evidences gaping holes of logic and physics but, as a "refrigerator film," it works well. Read full review
75
USA TodayClaudia PuigJan 29, 2015
Claustrophobic, compelling and suspenseful. Read full review
75
Washington PostMichael O'SullivanJan 29, 2015
The film’s patina of richly textured grime lends the film a gloomy, claustrophobic beauty that serves its mood, as well as its satisfyingly misanthropic message: Greed isn’t good, and most people aren’t either. Read full review
75
RogerEbert.comMatt Zoller SeitzJan 22, 2015
Black Sea looks so gorgeous and moves with such muscular grace that you might forget, or never imagine, that it's a relatively small action movie. Read full review
75
ObserverRex ReedJan 21, 2015
Directed by Kevin Macdonald (The Last King of Scotland), it’s basically another tough genre workout that is all too familiar, with enough tension and violence to keep an audience alert if not riveted. Read full review
70
Arizona RepublicBill GoodykoontzJan 29, 2015
Director Kevin Macdonald offers a suffocating visual feast. Some of the particulars don't add up, so much so that you do notice them even as the action plows forward. But it's still a thrilling ride. Read full review
70
Los Angeles TimesMichael RechtshaffenJan 22, 2015
Jude Law makes for an effective rogue submarine captain in "Black Sea," a fittingly immersive thriller, tautly directed by Kevin MacDonald. Read full review
70
Wall Street JournalJoe MorgensternJan 22, 2015
A conspicuous comedown from the best of Mr. Macdonald’s films — “The Last King of Scotland” and “Touching the Void.” Still, the craftsmanship is impressive, Ben Mendelsohn’s Fraser provides plenty of psychopathic villainy, and Mr. Law invests his character with more passion than the writing deserves. Read full review
70
TheWrapJames RocchiJan 21, 2015
Gripping, smart and genuinely thrilling, Black Sea elevates itself above most other thrillers by how wisely and well it brings you down to the depths alongside its crew. Read full review
70
The DissolveKate ErblandJan 20, 2015
Not content simply to make a finely tuned undersea action film, Macdonald reaches for something more significant and comes up short, trapping his own treasures under a tidal wave of thwarted ambition. Read full review
63
Chicago TribuneMichael PhillipsJan 29, 2015
Many will forgive all the contrivances and a muted ending that doesn't quite come off. It is, after all, a submarine picture. Read full review
63
Rolling StonePeter TraversJan 21, 2015
Macdonald uses the "Das Boot"-like claustrophobia for maximum tension, then deadens the thrills with flashbacks to Robinson and his estranged wife. Ah, jeez. Law and the scrappy cast work best when submerged and going at one another like beasts. Read full review
63
Slant MagazineChris CabinJan 12, 2015
As much as the film is primarily a genre workout for director Kevin McDonald, the script makes room for a tough-minded, psychologically corrosive depiction of vengeance. Read full review
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