Brake
IFC Films | Release Date: March 23, 2012 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
38
METASCORE
Generally unfavorable reviews based on 11 Critic Reviews
Positive:
2
Mixed:
5
Negative:
4
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
75
ObserverRex ReedMar 21, 2012
In retrospect, it's preposterous. But while you're gasping for air, it's one hell of a thrill ride, like being stuck on a malfunctioning roller coaster for an hour and a half at top speed, and unable to get off. Read full review
70
MovielineMichelle OrangeMar 21, 2012
It wouldn't go so far as to say it feels like you went through Jeremy's ordeal for nothing, but I did wish I had come to know as much about Dorff's character as I did about the size and shape of his nostrils. Read full review
58
The A.V. ClubNoel MurrayMar 21, 2012
Ridiculousness aside, though, Brake is reasonably impressive both as a performance piece and as an exercise in staging. Read full review
50
NPRAndrew LapinMar 23, 2012
The ride as a whole is at the very least exciting to take part in. Read full review
40
New York Daily NewsJoe NeumaierMar 22, 2012
While we're meant to feel claustrophobic, we're not supposed to fight boredom, which kicks in quickly. Read full review
40
VarietyRobert KoehlerMar 21, 2012
Mannion's script goes a bit too far in terms of twists, capping the third-act suspense with a plot U-turn, and then another, that leaves audiences feeling played. Worse, the final development loses credibility in retrospect, reducing the film to the level of an exercise in paranoia, effects and one actor's ability to hold attention for nearly 90 minutes. Read full review
40
The New York TimesStephen HoldenMar 20, 2012
Brake is a full-scale paranoid nightmare with back-to-back double-whammy endings. Read full review
38
New York PostSara StewartMar 23, 2012
Director Gabe Torres lobs a twist you'll likely see coming, and another you may not - neither satisfying enough to justify an hour and a half of Dorff-in-a-box. Read full review
30
Village VoiceMichael AtkinsonMar 20, 2012
Dorff's mannered Bruce Willis affect seems as insincere as the script, which helplessly loses credibility as info accrues and the narrative unpeels. Read full review
20
Time OutSam AdamsMar 20, 2012
Primarily a TV director, Torres lacks the chops to delineate Dorff's claustrophobic quarters, and the actor spends most of the movie confusing tough-guy stoicism with simple inertness, despite the occasional Jack Bauer–style yell. Read full review
12
Slant MagazineAndrew SchenkerMar 17, 2012
Until its pair of ludicrous twist endings, which complicates its message and logistics in ways that make little sense, Gabe Torres's Brake plays like a more simplistic version of Buried tailored specifically to a hawkish right-wing crowd. Read full review
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