Movie Review

Character Trumps Crime in ‘The Sweeney’

A testosterone-pumped crime drama makes up for plot holes with the seductive characterizations of Ray Winstone and Ben Drew as two thuggish detectives.

'Stoker' Gets Heated Even As its Characters Stay Icy

The great thrill of this glossy, sexy, pervy thriller—starring Mia Wasikowska, Matthew Goode, and Nicole Kidman—is in recalling the clues dropped on the way, along with those lingering close-ups of material possessions that practically amount to commercials.

The Medium is the Revolution in ‘No’

It’s peppy TV ads versus a military despot in this hypnotic political drama—starring a quietly charming Gael Garcia Bernal—set during a Chilean revolution in 1988.

Culture Clash Is Sweet in ‘Shanghai Calling’

If this fish-out-of-water comedy, directed by Daniel Hsia and starring Daniel Henney, never fulfills the promise of its clever premise, it is nonetheless the announcement of a director and a leading man to watch.

The Do-Re-Mi’s of Nazi Crime in ‘Lore’

A family of abandoned Hitler Youth, portrayed by an impressively fearless cast of child actors, go on the run after the Allies take over Germany, only to face firsthand the grim realities of their countrymen’s crimes.

The Dual Comedic Identities of Melissa McCarthy Play Into ‘Identity Thief’

Improbably, this buddy/road comedy wants McCarthy to have it both ways as a raunchy comic genius and as a sentimental softy. Even more improbably, she succeeds.

‘Would You Rather’ Incites Some Queasy Moral Questioning

The movie, starring Brittany Snow and Jeffrey Combs and featuring the world's worst dinner party, falls somewhere on the spectrum between torture porn and psychological horror—and somewhat mysteriously works.

War on Terror Is Somber Business in ‘The Gatekeepers’

During this placidly paced, intellectually arresting documentary, candid conversations with leaders of the Shin Bet—Israel’s secret service—reveal unsettling life and dearth truths about making decisions during war.

The Horror Genre Drops Acid in ‘John Dies at the End’

Director Don Coscarelli and his pitch perfect cast create a comic-horror drug trip that boggles the mind and entertains the eye.

‘Supporting Characters’ Lacks Interesting Leads

A passably amusing comedy about the love lives of film editors, starring Alex Karpovsky and Tarik Lowe, is as void of intrigue as it sounds.