Criminal

Name: Criminal
Genre: Action, Sci-Fi, Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Released: April 15, 2016
Duration: 113 min
Rating: 36
Cast: Alice Eve, Gal Gadot, Gary Oldman, Kevin Costner, Ryan Reynolds

2016

METASCORE

Generally unfavorable reviews based on 27 Critic Reviews

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USER SCORE

Universal acclaim based on 275 Ratings

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Criminal

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Movie Details & Credits

Lionsgate | Release Date: April 15, 2016 | R

Starring: Alice Eve, Gal Gadot, Gary Oldman, Kevin Costner, Ryan Reynolds, Tommy Lee Jones

Summary: In a last-ditch effort to stop a diabolical plot, a dead CIA operative’s memories, secrets, and skills are implanted into an unpredictable and dangerous death-row inmate (Kevin Costner) in hopes that he will complete the operative’s mission.

Director: Ariel Vromen

Genre(s): Action, Sci-Fi, Drama, Mystery, Thriller, Crime

Rating: R

Runtime: 113 min

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Critic Reviews

James Berardinelli

Apr 16, 2016

As a race-against-time, Jason Bourne-inspired adrenaline cocktail, Criminal offers a couple of hours of popcorn-munching entertainment. Read full review

Kenneth Turan

Apr 14, 2016

Half science-fiction tale, half espionage thriller, it's a pleasantly far-fetched endeavor that moves along so briskly that it leaves no time to consider its implausibilities, which are many. Read full review

Katie Walsh

Apr 14, 2016

Criminal feels like the kind of high-concept, unapologetically preposterous action movies of the heyday in the '80s and '90s. If that's your thing, it's a hoot. Read full review

Steven Rea

Apr 15, 2016

Criminal, with its criminally lazy title, is mostly Costner's to growl and scowl his way through. Read full review

Kimberley Jones

Apr 20, 2016

Criminal is a perfectly passable thriller, if you’re cool with no one here passing as an actual human being. Read full review

Richard Roeper

Apr 14, 2016

Given the lurid, stupid, loony and unintentionally laughable nature of this espionage thriller, I found some measure of entertainment studying the vastly different approaches taken by Costner, Jones and Oldman — three of our finest actors over the last 30 years. Read full review

Tom Huddleston

Apr 15, 2016

When great actors meet a misguided script, the results can be hilarious. And so it proves with Criminal, a nutso mash-up of The Bourne Identity and The Man with Two Brains which, despite a laughable plot and ridiculous dialogue, somehow managed to attract Kevin Costner to the lead role, with support from Ryan Reynolds, Tommy Lee Jones, new Wonder Woman Gal Gadot and even Gary Oldman (who really needs to have a word with his agent after this and Child 44). Read full review

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User Reviews

Moby1682

May 3, 2016

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Criminal has an intriguing concept of a dead man's memories being transferred into a living person.

A CIA agent is killed by a terrorist after he is on the run from them, Ryan Reynolds plays the agent and he is

effective although his screen time is very brief. The villain is played by the actor from Bad Boys 2 and Blow
where he also played the villain. Tommy Lee Jones is perfect as the doctor even though his role is minor.

Gary Oldman overacts in a few scenes by delivering comical dialogue instead of assertive dialogue. The
action is well shot and there is enough to keep you engrossed. Criminal is similar to movies like the Bourne

series and Self/less which is also a mind transference thriller but the twists are dissimilar. Kevin Costner
Costner delivers the most intriguing performance in the movie. He transformed himself into a criminal

for the role. His speech, actions, movements and criminal ideas all match how an unfeeling criminal
would behave. In the movie he suffered an accident at the hands of father. His father threw him through a

car window and that damaged the temporal lobe in his brain. In order for the procedure to work the memories
have to be implanted into a person with a damaged temporal lobe. Costner's Jericho is unfeeling because

of his brain injury but then he has emotions from Bill's memories in his brain. He feels exactly what Bill felt
towards his wife and daughter when he was alive. Gal Gadot from Batman Versus Superman also adds

to the movie and the cast acts well off of one another. The terrorist is after a man named the Dutchman.
The Dutchman has access to nuclear missiles and the terrorist wants control of those missiles.

Bill won't tell him where he is so he murders him. Once Jericho has his memories the terrorist wants him
so he can gain access to the missiles. The CIA were going to pay the Dutchman off so he wouldn't give

anyone access to the missiles. The ending of Criminal is perfect and very positive. This is Kevin Costner's wittiest, adrenalized performace since Mr. Brooks.… Expand

53 of 57 users found this helpful534

Clepsydra

Apr 16, 2022

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0 of 1 users found this helpful01

Momentum78

Mar 14, 2022

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0 of 0 users found this helpful00

Parasol92

Aug 11, 2021

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. One of the best films about crime & life.₩

I am amazed. Watched this movie a while back, and decided to do a rewatch on larger screen, and experience is exactly the same. Is this the best or perfect movie? No! But maybe best movie about crime and life together. When I say life I mean soul, emotions, humanity. There is all: from being wounded to being in love, from betrayal to having courage. All in authentic, 1st person experience, with all scientific details. Liked the stunts and technology too. Bit more amateur and typical than some best movies but still very good. Looks real. Similar bit to Prison Break, Jason Bourne, CSI, Replicas. Story is bit amateur and unrealistic, showing hacker and government making amateur mistakes, as if they are not trained, too unreal. But topic is the best. It shows possible use of science to turn bad into good, to exploit bad things so they become useful. End is the best, very positive and emotional.… Expand

3 of 3 users found this helpful30

DawdlingPoet

Nov 27, 2021

This is a pretty decent sci-fi thriller film with a good cast, set in London. There are some scenes with quite bloody violence and the suspense is pretty good. The plot is a little unlikely, suffice to say but there are some interesting parts to it. Its a reasonably good watch, a mix ofThis is a pretty decent sci-fi thriller film with a good cast, set in London. There are some scenes with quite bloody violence and the suspense is pretty good. The plot is a little unlikely, suffice to say but there are some interesting parts to it. Its a reasonably good watch, a mix of sci-fi and thriller, with action elements too. There are worse films, there are better. It's not something likely to stay with you for any particular length of time, so I wouldn't recommend it as such, no.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

Laskeudeung

Feb 1, 2017

The concept not too ridiculous i thought. Changing criminal (its titile) for being a cliche hero being. But pardon me for showing big dissapointment for Costner performance. Lack of his touch of this action agent movie and cheap script couldn't save this movie till the end. Despite , i stillThe concept not too ridiculous i thought. Changing criminal (its titile) for being a cliche hero being. But pardon me for showing big dissapointment for Costner performance. Lack of his touch of this action agent movie and cheap script couldn't save this movie till the end. Despite , i still liked the idea.… Expand

0 of 5 users found this helpful05

allfixxed

Jan 7, 2017

If you believe it's okay for your government to experiment on a brain-damaged prisoner, then either offer him a job if the experiment is a success or execute him if it isn't, then you will love this movie.

1 of 46 users found this helpful145

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