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AMIGO (2011)Movie Reviews
Historical drama about a village mayor caught between an American officer and his own rebel brother during the Philippine-American War. Cast:Joel Torres, Garret Dillahunt, Chris Cooper, D.J. QuallsDirector:John SaylesRelease Date:August 19, 2011DVD Release: TBD From:Variance FilmsRating:RLength:2 hr. 8 min.
Amigo (2011) played in key cities to good not great reviews. • Bill Goodykoontz wrote in the Arizona Republic, "...maybe it's not one of Sayles' best films, but it is a good one, highly enjoyable, if a little too obvious a metaphor for American involvement in practically every war..." • And A.O. Scott called the film in the New York Times, "...sturdy and old-fashioned." More Reviews Below...
Richard Corliss, Time: FAIR "Sayles' fondness for narrative clichés works for him in the more intimates moments... [but] the pot of intrigue takes ages to boil, and the cook refuses to turn up the heat."(See all of Richard Corliss's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 1,280 words, 08/19/11
Peter Travers, Rolling Stone: VERY GOOD(cg) "...combustible filmmaking... In an entertainment universe of escapism and short attention spans, 'Amigo' is a rousing antidote and a cause for celebration."(See all of Peter Travers's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 308 words, 08/18/11
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times: VERY GOOD(cg) "...politically aware, occasionally melodramatic and maintains a certain intimacy despite sprawling across multiple characters and stories."(See all of Roger Ebert's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 1,511 words, 09/16/11
James Rocchi, MSN Movies: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...feels more florid and earnest -- a little too eager to make friends -- than Sayles' other films, but it also feels more passionate and provocative than 99% of everything else..."(See all of James Rocchi's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 739 words, 08/16/11
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NEW YORK/LOS ANGELES/CHICAGO/TORONTO (7 Reviews)
A.O. Scott, New York Times: EXCELLENT "...sturdy and old-fashioned.... a well-carpentered narrative, fast-moving and emphatic, stepping nimbly from gravity to good humor."(See all of A.O. Scott's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 909 words, 08/19/11
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times: VERY GOOD(cg) "...politically aware, occasionally melodramatic and maintains a certain intimacy despite sprawling across multiple characters and stories."(See all of Roger Ebert's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 1,511 words, 09/16/11
J. Hoberman, Village Voice: VERY GOOD "...aspires more to educate than entertain, but it's no less engrossing for that.... intelligently rip-roaring, a thoughtful action film, a teachable moment."(See all of J. Hoberman's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 698 words, 08/17/11
Michael O'Sullivan, Washington Post: WEAK(cg) "...so heavy-handed - and its execution so crude - that by the time the movie winds its way to a predictable but uninvolving conclusion, nobody will be listening anymore."(See all of Michael O'Sullivan's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 577 words, 09/02/11
Bill Goodykoontz, Arizona Republic: EXCELLENT(cg) "...maybe it's not one of Sayles' best films, but it is a good one, highly enjoyable, if a little too obvious a metaphor for American involvement in practically every war..."(See all of Bill Goodykoontz's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 596 words, 10/07/11
Stephen Whitty, New Jersey Star-Ledger: VERY GOOD(cg) "...if this movie makes you think of noncombatants in Vietnam, Iraq or Afghanistan, and the collateral damage they can become... well, that's as Sayles would prefer it."(See all of Stephen Whitty's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 558 words, 08/19/11
Walter Addiego, San Francisco Chronicle: MODERATE(cg) "...a heavy-handed attack on U.S. imperialism with little to compensate in the way of character interest and genuine drama."(See all of Walter Addiego's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 284 words, 08/19/11
John Hartl, Seattle Times: OUTSTANDING(cg) "...engrossing... You could argue that the chief villain of the ambiguously titled 'Amigo' is language, which is used quite deliberately to mock and mislead and betray."(See all of John Hartl's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 451 words, 09/02/11
Marc Mohan, Portland Oregonian: MODERATE(cg) "...there's no real sense of the atmosphere of a sticky, buggy, fetid jungle, and no intensity to a story that cries out for a sense of moral outrage."(See all of Marc Mohan's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 295 words, 09/02/11
Connie Ogle, Miami Herald: VERY GOOD(cg) "...a Sayles movie -- intelligent, thoughtful, deeply resonant and wearing its political heart on its sleeve -- we know that determining what is holy is a tricky business."(See all of Connie Ogle's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 513 words, 11/14/11
ALTERNATIVE/INDIE PRESS (5 Reviews)
J. Hoberman, Village Voice: VERY GOOD "...aspires more to educate than entertain, but it's no less engrossing for that.... intelligently rip-roaring, a thoughtful action film, a teachable moment."(See all of J. Hoberman's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 698 words, 08/17/11
Tasha Robinson, AV Club: VERY GOOD(cg) "...a beautifully shot... whispers its messages rather than shouting them. Sometimes that makes them hard to hear, but better adult subtlety than childish obviousness."(See all of Tasha Robinson's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 469 words, 08/18/11
Michelle Orange, Movieline: MODERATE(cg) "...a study of what it means to be moral during wartime... the theme is too complex to be developed through the film's series of studied, expository two-shot conversations."(See all of Michelle Orange's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 794 words, 08/18/11
Fernando F. Croce, Slant: MODERATE(cg) "...finds the auteur stumbling in the direction of Robert Redford's bloodless lectures ('Lions for Lambs,' 'The Conspirator')... anachronistic, on-the-nose..."(See all of Fernando F. Croce's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 553 words, 08/15/11
HIGHBROW PRESS (2 Reviews)
A.O. Scott, New York Times: EXCELLENT "...sturdy and old-fashioned.... a well-carpentered narrative, fast-moving and emphatic, stepping nimbly from gravity to good humor."(See all of A.O. Scott's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 909 words, 08/19/11
Joe Leydon, Daily Variety: GOOD (NOT GREAT) "Admirably sincere but bluntly simplistic... combs through a nearly forgotten chapter of history for thought-provoking parallels to recent misadventures in Iraq and Afghanistan."(See all of Joe Leydon's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 643 words, 09/18/10
Ray Bennett, Hollywood Reporter: GOOD "...a familiar tale, but the setting is different, and Sayles tells it with his usual cinematic vigor and attention to small detail."(See all of Ray Bennett's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 613 words, 10/15/10
Emanuel Levy, Cinema 24/7: VERY GOOD(cg) "...an original work that wields Sayles' fascination with personalities and history to a rambling and chaotic exploration of caste, class and color."(See all of Emanuel Levy's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 812 words, 09/16/10
A.O. Scott, New York Times: EXCELLENT "...sturdy and old-fashioned.... a well-carpentered narrative, fast-moving and emphatic, stepping nimbly from gravity to good humor."(See all of A.O. Scott's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 909 words, 08/19/11
17.5 Percentage Points Average Difference Between Reviews (Norm is 18.4pp; <18.4pp = More Consistent; >18.4pp = More Mixed)
Amigo (2011)'s reviews are separated by an average 17.5 percentage points. The norm for this measure is 18.4 percentage points. Less than 18.4 indicates more consistent reviews; greater than 18.4 indicates more mixed reviews. In the chart below, each dot represents a review, with the dots at the top more positive than the dots at the bottom. From left to right, the dots represent reviews in big, bigger and biggest publications. Roll over each dot for more detail.
Amigo (2011) (24 reviews) Roll over dots for each review
Coverage:Amigo (2011)'s reviews cover 39.3% of potential readers (average is 67.9%). Volume:The film's reviews total 13,417 words involume (average is 20,172 words). Length:The film's reviews average 559 words in length (the norm is 517 words).
Reviews Broke 10 Days Before Release (Norm is 1.2 Release)
Amigo (2011)'s reviews on average broke 10 days before opening. Norm for this measure is 1.2 hours before. The chart below shows reviews on opening day and the days before and after opening; the left side is earlier and the right side is later. The red bars extending above the horizontal mid-line represent more positive reviews, and the red bars extending below represent more negative reviews. The white space/red bar in the middle is Amigo (2011)'s opening day. Click on any bar for a list of the reviews for that day.
Amigo (2011) (24 reviews, click on bars for reviews)
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