The Rhythm Section
Paramount Pictures | Release Date: January 31, 2020 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
45
METASCORE
Mixed or average reviews based on 36 Critic Reviews
Positive:
9
Mixed:
19
Negative:
8
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
100
San Francisco ChronicleMick LaSalleJan 29, 2020
It’s Lively’s movie, and it’s she who kicks this superior thriller up an extra notch, to the point that it’s not only worth seeing for the excitement and thrills, but for her. Read full review
75
IndieWireKate ErblandJan 31, 2020
Lively makes off with one of her best performances ever, and one that makes an unexpected case for giving the actress a real action franchise next time around. One of contemporary cinema’s most underrated chameleons, Lively throws herself into the role with real gusto. Read full review
75
The Associated PressMark KennedyJan 30, 2020
Morano is absolutely adept in keeping tension rising, her characters grounded and her audience intrigued, a half-step behind. Read full review
74
Paste MagazineOktay Ege Kozak Feb 6, 2020
The Rhythm Section certainly doesn’t rewrite the structure of the revenge movie. The usual plot twists can still be seen coming a mile away. None of which keeps it from being a smart and insightful genre exercise in an already promising director’s young career. Read full review
70
VarietyPeter DebrugeJan 29, 2020
This isn’t an easy role, but Lively aces it. Read full review
67
The Film StageGlenn Heath Jr.Jan 30, 2020
The tired narrative double crosses and verbose exposition ultimately distract from the film’s artistic desire to complicate the female gaze within action cinema. Read full review
63
ObserverOliver JonesFeb 1, 2020
Unlike many of the other films of its ilk, The Rhythm Section never feels the need to move beyond Stephanie’s sadness and sense of loss. This is really a tragedy thriller more than it is a revenge thriller. Read full review
63
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)Johanna SchnellerJan 30, 2020
It is fun, though, to spot the differences a female director brings to the genre. Read full review
63
Movie NationRoger MooreJan 29, 2020
The lyrics aren’t all that. But in an action film, it’s tempo that matters. The Rhythm Section never loses the beat. Read full review
60
Time OutDan JolinJan 31, 2020
Lively remains impressive throughout, but with plot-driven fare like this, such lapses are a let-down. Read full review
60
Los Angeles TimesKatie WalshJan 29, 2020
The willingness to let Stephanie be human and react as such brings a sense of reality and authenticity back to the action-spy genre, which has become too slick. Read full review
60
EmpireJames DyerJan 29, 2020
Lively’s steely heroine and a propulsive plot ensure you’re never bored, but this is a generic thriller from a simpler time, bulked up by a single strong performance. Read full review
60
Screen RantMolly FreemanJan 29, 2020
The Rhythm Section is wonderfully acted by Blake Lively and immersively directed by Reed Morano, creating a tense and mostly engaging thriller. Read full review
60
The GuardianPeter BradshawJan 29, 2020
The rapport between Law and Lively allows the movie both to relax and pick up the pace. Morano puts together good fight scenes, robust stunt work and tasty car chases. It’s destined to be viewed on a million long-haul flights, but it works perfectly well as a thriller. Read full review
58
The PlaylistCharles BarfieldJan 29, 2020
Overall, Blake Lively and Reed Morano have presented a slightly new take on the spy genre, where emotional pain and personal stakes take center stage instead of worldwide destruction and action hero one-liners. It’s a refreshing, admirable idea and makes The Rhythm Section feel more personal and wounding. Read full review
50
Entertainment WeeklyLeah GreenblattJan 31, 2020
In the second half, the movie even manages a few rare moments of visceral thrill, and even something like catharsis. But nothing ever quite gels; instead, the story just keeps banging toward its bloody conclusion, always a little off the beat. Read full review
50
RogerEbert.comChristy LemireJan 31, 2020
Blake Lively gives it her all in The Rhythm Section, but the movie only meets her halfway. Read full review
50
Original-CinKim HughesJan 30, 2020
The Rhythm Section is especially disappointing given its strong cast in front of and behind the scenes and its obvious ambition to rise above a paint-by-numbers action film with a somewhat relatable protagonist. Read full review
50
ReelViewsJames BerardinelliJan 30, 2020
Unevenly paced and with a miscast lead, the movie fails to get us to care about its automaton main character as she goes through the motions in a generic spy thriller. Read full review
50
CNNBrian LowryJan 30, 2020
The Rhythm Section can't quite get its act together. Featuring a solid performance by Blake Lively, it's not bad exactly, but plays like a malnourished Jason Bourne wannabe, crossed with the grittier side of "The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo." Read full review
50
The New York TimesGlenn KennyJan 30, 2020
The talented Morano, whose work on the TV series “The Handmaid’s Tale” shows a knack for shuddery grim realism, sometimes seems to want to subvert the espionage-action genre by bludgeoning the pleasure out of it. Read full review
50
USA TodayBrian TruittJan 29, 2020
Lively pulls off one of her best movie roles so far – ranking up there with her surprisingly delicious shark flick “The Shallows” – and is surrounded by plenty of visual spectacle, yet is waylaid by a narrative that lacks excitement. Even the twists seem painfully ordinary. Read full review
50
The A.V. ClubIgnatiy VishnevetskyJan 29, 2020
An always welcome presence, Law is the only cast member in The Rhythm Section to give the impression that he had any fun making the movie, playing B as a survivalist sourpuss with impossible reflexes. Nonetheless, he is consistently dressed and lit as though he were posing for a watch ad. Read full review
50
Chicago TribuneMichael PhillipsJan 29, 2020
The movie is made well, if you’re buying what it’s selling, and if you don’t consider a story or a script as crucial to the quality of a thriller. Read full review
40
Rolling StonePeter TraversJan 31, 2020
You can feel the desperation of the filmmakers as they throw in fist fights, car chases, and, yes, more wig changes to give an illusion of momentum to a grab bag of botched ideas. No sale. Read full review
40
The TelegraphTim RobeyJan 30, 2020
It has a serviceable but stalled quality. Read full review
40
Screen DailyFionnuala HalliganJan 29, 2020
Like the book, Reed Morano’s film is long on atmosphere and short on the kind of detail a spy thriller needs to be credible. Read full review
40
The Hollywood ReporterFrank ScheckJan 29, 2020
Fortunately, there's Lively, adopting a convincing British accent, who almost, but not quite, manages to infuse the convoluted goings-on with enough gravitas to make them convincing. Read full review
38
The Seattle TimesMoira MacdonaldJan 30, 2020
You watch wondering what good actors like Lively, Law, Jeffrey and Sterling K. Brown (as a former C.I.A. officer) saw in this muddy screenplay, and why Morano, best known for the Hulu series “The Handmaid’s Tale,” couldn’t find a way to make them spark. Read full review
38
New York PostReed TuckerJan 29, 2020
Take away the shaky cam, the indie-film sheen, the “brave” close-ups of Lively looking wretched, and what’s left has all the depth of a 1970s B movie. Read full review
38
Chicago Sun-TimesRichard RoeperJan 29, 2020
Despite a game performance by Lively, The Rhythm Section is a junk pile of missteps, from the convoluted screenplay that hops from locale to locale in Advil-inducing fashion to the overly stylized directing to the self-consciously “cool” oldies pop music selections. Read full review
37
Washington PostMichael O'SullivanJan 29, 2020
The Rhythm Section was directed by Reed Morano, who did a nice job with the first few episodes of “The Handmaid’s Tale,” but who seems a bit self-indulgent here. Read full review
25
Slant MagazineJake ColeJan 29, 2020
The film’s occasional gestures toward pseudo-feminist empowerment only compound the hollowness of its protagonist. Read full review
20
TheWrapWilliam BibbianiJan 29, 2020
The Rhythm Section takes well-worn genre material and removes all the substance and ingenuity, leaving behind only an undeveloped plot, a blank main character, and a sense of gravitas that is entirely unearned. Read full review
11
Austin ChronicleJosh KupeckiJan 29, 2020
This film is a mess. It’s so grim and inept. There are a million plot holes at any given moment, that you must constantly pick up your eyes from rolling on the floor. Read full review
10
Wall Street JournalJoe MorgensternJan 30, 2020
Still, human doesn’t leap to mind, even though Ms. Lively works hard to inject blood in the veins of her feminist avenger. The Rhythm Section isn’t a human movie. It’s as cold as the waters of that loch, and nowhere near as lucid. Read full review
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