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BRIGHTON ROCKMovie Reviews
Suspense drama about a desperate British youth who is hell bent on clawing his way up through the ranks of organized crime. Cast:Sam Riley, Andrea Riseborough, Helen Mirren, John Hurt, Andy SerkisDirector:Rowan JoffeRelease Date:August 26, 2011DVD Release:December 27, 2011From:IFCLength:1 hr 51 min
DECEMBER 27, 2011
Brighton Rock, Good (Not Great) Reviews Key Cities
Brighton Rock played in key cities to good not great reviews. • S.T. VanAirsdale wrote for Movieline, "Gorgeous, ambitious and daring as it often is, 'Brighton Rock' has no soul." • And Amy Biancolli wrote in the San Francisco Chronicle, "There's bombast that should have been toned down, sentiment that might have been excised. But it captures the chilling essence of Graham Greene's masterful novel..." More Reviews Below...
Brighton Rock Positive Reviews (29 Reviews, reviews below)
Christy Lemire, Associated Press: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...often feels like an exercise in style over substance, especially as it becomes clear just how many times we've seen these kinds of characters in this kind of story before."(See all of Christy Lemire's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 529 words, 08/25/11
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...a film of ominous gloom. The sea rolls darkly under the pier, the full cries are forlorn, the music is mournful... there is little sunshine for those seeking a holiday."(See all of Roger Ebert's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 545 words, 08/26/11
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NEW YORK/LOS ANGELES/CHICAGO/TORONTO (10 Reviews)
Stephen Holden, New York Times: VERY GOOD "...a pungent adaptation... Mr. Joffe has turned 'Brighton Rock' into a full-scale film noir with the stylistic undertow of a more modern British gangster movie."(See all of Stephen Holden's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 806 words, 08/26/11
Joe Neumaier, New York Daily News: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "Helen Mirren and John Hurt steal the show as friends all too aware of what goes on in their quiet seaside town."(See all of Joe Neumaier's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 162 words, 08/26/11
Kyle Smith, New York Post: MODERATE(cg) "Amid tiresome cinematic bombast meant to draw attention to the director, the standout element is Andrea Riseborough's quiet performance as Rose..."(See all of Kyle Smith's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 278 words, 08/26/11
Michael Phillips, Chicago Tribune: MODERATE(cg) "...director Rowan Joffe, working from his own script adaptation, appears to be guessing at his effects and pacing.... offers muffled, half-formed pulp fiction."(See all of Michael Phillips's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 441 words, 08/26/11
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...a film of ominous gloom. The sea rolls darkly under the pier, the full cries are forlorn, the music is mournful... there is little sunshine for those seeking a holiday."(See all of Roger Ebert's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 545 words, 08/26/11
Karina Longworth, Village Voice/LA Weekly: MODERATE "...its vibe of social and sexual upheaval provides a thin 'moral panic' context for both Pinkie's unapologetic cruelty and Rose's incurable obsession..."(See all of Karina Longworth's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 231 words, 08/24/11
KEY CITIES (8 Reviews)
Ann Hornaday, Washington Post: MODERATE(cg) "Recalls the Who's 'Quadrophenia'... Mods and Rockers are setting off a youthquake while old-school hoods duke it out on the beach below."(See all of Ann Hornaday's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 356 words, 08/26/11
Colin Covert, Minneapolis Star-Tribune: MODERATE(cg) "Rowan Joffe commits the novice director's mistake of using every visual trick in the book.... limits each scene to a single note and plays that one through a bullhorn..."(See all of Colin Covert's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 342 words, 09/09/11
Mark Feeney, Boston Globe: MODERATE(cg) "At times, you'd think Brighton was in the mountains. Martin Phipps, who did the overblown score, must think so, too. Where else do wordless choirs chant?"(See all of Mark Feeney's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 590 words, 08/26/11
Stephen Whitty, New Jersey Star-Ledger: OUTSTANDING(cg) "Joffe has done a wonderful job in bringing Graham Greene's novel back to life, slightly modernizing things while staying true to Greene's timeless themes of guilt and grace."(See all of Stephen Whitty's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 570 words, 08/26/11
Amy Biancolli, San Francisco Chronicle: MODERATE(cg) "There's bombast that should have been toned down, sentiment that might have been excised. But it captures the chilling essence of Graham Greene's masterful novel..."(See all of Amy Biancolli's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 320 words, 08/26/11
Tom Long, Detroit News: GOOD(cg) "...there's a brutish beauty to the mean world of 'Brighton Rock' that feels very '40s even in the '60s.... It's a world of switchblades and scooters, but also of moral delusion..."(See all of Tom Long's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 310 words, 09/09/11
ALTERNATIVE/INDIE PRESS (7 Reviews)
Karina Longworth, Village Voice/LA Weekly: MODERATE "...its vibe of social and sexual upheaval provides a thin 'moral panic' context for both Pinkie's unapologetic cruelty and Rose's incurable obsession..."(See all of Karina Longworth's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 231 words, 08/24/11
Keith Phipps, AV Club: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...the leads continually threaten to sink the film.... Some veteran actors do much better work in supporting roles, particularly Helen Mirren, John Hurt, and Andy Serkis..."(See all of Keith Phipps's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 391 words, 08/25/11
Bill Weber, Slant: WEAK(cg) "...another example of buying a revered title then gutting what made it unique... on its own terms, it's about as savory as the titular candy homicidally jammed down a throat."(See all of Bill Weber's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 489 words, 08/22/11
MaryAnn Johanson, Flick Filosopher: EXCELLENT(cg) "Sam Riley slinks across the screen like a wounded Leonardo DiCaprio, or a young Chris Noth, bottled up and scowling at the world but fuming with rage underneath..."(See all of MaryAnn Johanson's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 616 words, 02/04/11
HIGHBROW PRESS (4 Reviews)
Stephen Holden, New York Times: VERY GOOD "...a pungent adaptation... Mr. Joffe has turned 'Brighton Rock' into a full-scale film noir with the stylistic undertow of a more modern British gangster movie."(See all of Stephen Holden's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 806 words, 08/26/11
David Denby, New Yorker: WEAK "...an unnecessary movie.... its strongest elements are the blustery and depressing atmosphere of the chilly seaside resort and the sheer actorly pleasure displayed by Helen Mirren..."(See all of David Denby's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 157 words, 08/22/11
Dana Stevens, Slate: GOOD (NOT GREAT) "...doesn't live up to the greatness of the novel (or even, really, the very-goodness of the 1947 movie), but it doesn't betray Greene's book either..."(See all of Dana Stevens's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 620 words, 08/26/11
MOVIE INDUSTRY (4 Reviews)
Justin Chang, Daily Variety: WEAK "...never shakes off the feel of a telepic... its unsteady lead performances and often garish stylistic touches make a muddle of the source material's psychological acuity."(See all of Justin Chang's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 732 words, 09/16/10
Ray Bennett, Hollywood Reporter: FAIR "...takes a gothic approach to the story of a young thug obsessed with hell with little of Graham Greene's subtlety and too much reliance on a loud quasi-religious choral score."(See all of Ray Bennett's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 576 words, 10/15/10
Stephen Holden, New York Times: VERY GOOD "...a pungent adaptation... Mr. Joffe has turned 'Brighton Rock' into a full-scale film noir with the stylistic undertow of a more modern British gangster movie."(See all of Stephen Holden's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 806 words, 08/26/11
17.3 Percentage Points Average Difference Between Reviews (Norm is 18.4pp; <18.4pp = More Consistent; >18.4pp = More Mixed)
Brighton Rock's reviews are separated by an average 17.3 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.
Brighton Rock (29 reviews) Roll over dots for each review
Coverage:Brighton Rock's reviews cover 39.7% of potential readers (average is 67.9%). Volume:The film's reviews total 13,020 words involume (average is 20,194 words). Length:The film's reviews average 449 words in length (the norm is 517 words).
Brighton Rock Coverage, Volume & Length (29 Reviews, reviews below)
Reviews Broke 7 Days Before Release (Norm is 1.2 Release)
Brighton Rock's reviews on average broke 7 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 Brighton Rock's opening day. Click on any bar for a list of the reviews for that day.
Brighton Rock (29 reviews, click on bars for reviews)
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