Dear Reader: Update, Movie Review Intelligence will
continue publishing this website through June (more...)
Search a Movie:
DEAD MAN DOWNMovie Reviews
Action thriller about two strangers who are irresistibly drawn to one another by a mutual desire for revenge against a crime lord. Cast:Noomi Rapace, Colin Farrell, Terrence Howard, Dominic Cooper, Isabelle Huppert, Armand Assante, Raymond Mamrak, Raw Leiba, Luis Da Silva Jr, Jennifer Butler, Franky G, Jennifer Mudge, Kelly Southerland, Krystal Tini, James BiberiDirector:Niels Arden OplevRelease Date:March 8, 2013DVD Release:July 9, 2013From:FilmDistrictRating:RLength:1 hr 50 min
Dead Man Down played to fair reviews. • Eric Eisenberg wrote for Cinema Blend, "...you celebrate the elements the film gets right and shake your head at the things it gets wrong.... an interesting miss, but it's a miss all the same." More Reviews Below...
Dead Man Down Positive Reviews (32 Reviews, reviews below)
Alynda Wheat, People: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "There are too many logical fallacies for the film to entirely succeed.... Still, Farrell and Rapace give nuanced performances, while Dominic Cooper amuses..."(See all of Alynda Wheat's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 103 words, 03/14/13
Jake Coyle, Associated Press: POOR(cg) "...lifeless... squirm-inducing in its preposterous dialogue and haphazard plotting.... the tension finally bursts as inelegantly as it was manufactured."(See all of Jake Coyle's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 501 words, 03/07/13
Chris Nashawaty, Entertainment Weekly: MODERATE(cg) "...a bullet-riddled mess of a thriller... Isabelle Huppert drops by to hint at the more interesting film this might have been."(See all of Chris Nashawaty's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 79 words, 03/15/13
Claudia Puig, USA Today: MODERATE(cg) "Suspense never builds as it should. The film feels as if it started in the middle.... yearns to be both edgy and action-packed. It comes up short on both counts."(See all of Claudia Puig's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 545 words, 03/08/13
Glenn Kenny, MSN Movies: WEAK(cg) "A generally goofy revenge thriller with some pleasingly lurid thrills... spoils its chance at being a worthwhile sensationalist entertainment by overplaying its hand."(See all of Glenn Kenny's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 610 words, 03/07/13
James Berardinelli, Reel Views: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...slowly and methodically explores a common ground for noir thrillers... it works on its own terms until it reaches the point of resolution."(See all of James Berardinelli's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 815 words, 03/09/13
Jeffrey M. Anderson, Common Sense Media: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...a sturdy potboiler... directed with a European sense of space and rhythm, accepting of character flaws, and generous with time for characters to breathe... Age 16."(See all of Jeffrey M. Anderson's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 469 words, 03/08/13
we have an app for when you're out and about
get our iPhone app... or get our mobile web app...
movie review intelligence
NEW YORK/LOS ANGELES/CHICAGO/TORONTO (11 Reviews)
Manohla Dargis, New York Times: FAIR "...too innocuous to qualify as either actually good or delectably bad... Colin Farrell and his sensitive, hardworking eyebrows help keep it from becoming a full-bore lampoon..."(See all of Manohla Dargis's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 602 words, 03/08/13
Joe Neumaier, New York Daily News: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "Before it devolves into typical American-style action, there's an intriguing, European-style complexity... Oplev keeps things oblique enough to draw us in."(See all of Joe Neumaier's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 431 words, 03/08/13
Betsy Sharkey, Los Angeles Times: MODERATE "...the movie feels like it's trying too hard. Some moments are cleverly constructed, and others seem as if the filmmakers have left themselves no plausible escape."(See all of Betsy Sharkey's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 726 words, 03/08/13
Kyle Smith, New York Post: POOR(cg) "New York is tough, guys, but not so tough that criminals tote AK-47s around in broad daylight.... while a mob thriller can be as nasty as it likes, what it can't be is silly."(See all of Kyle Smith's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 701 words, 03/08/13
Rafer Guzman, New York Newsday: POOR(cg) "...this blend of Scandinavian gloom and Hollywood hokum never jells. Our two heroes are such single-minded death-mongers that the villains don't seem so bad..."(See all of Rafer Guzman's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 299 words, 03/09/13
Bilge Ebiri, New York Magazine: GOOD (NOT GREAT) "...there's too much good stuff here to dismiss it entirely.... at times exhilarating, bold, and beautiful -- when it's not busy being ludicrous, fragmented, and just plain stupid."(See all of Bilge Ebiri's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 680 words, 03/08/13
Peter Howell, Toronto Star: MODERATE(cg) "The cautionary adage about weaving tangled webs in the process of deception certainly applies... an overwrought thriller brought to ground by its own contrivances."(See all of Peter Howell's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 576 words, 03/08/13
Nick Schager, Village Voice/LA Weekly: POOR "...laughably plotted and miscast... It's all so much turgid brooding, dialogue underlined with import, and leaden symbolism involving Rapace's white and red dresses..."(See all of Nick Schager's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 203 words, 03/13/13
Rick Groen, Toronto Globe & Mail: VERY GOOD(cg) "...a frisky gangster flick cum elaborate thriller cum off-beat romance.... entertaining... engaging and just credible enough to leave you feeling surprised..."(See all of Rick Groen's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 642 words, 03/08/13
Radheyan Simonpillai, Toronto Now: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "Oplev's muscular action movie almost buckles under the weight of its inconsequential tangents and convoluted plot.... can be a fascinating mess."(See all of Radheyan Simonpillai's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 211 words, 03/08/13
KEY CITIES (5 Reviews)
Michael O'Sullivan, Washington Post: MODERATE(cg) "...writer J.H. Wyman and Oplev introduce enough stylish eccentricity -- and opaque plotting -- to keep the tale interesting, at least until the generic bloodbath conclusion."(See all of Michael O'Sullivan's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 399 words, 03/08/13
Steven Rea, Philadelphia Inquirer: WEAK(cg) "...teems with thugs and mugs, with references to dead Jamaicans and troublesome Albanians.... directed in a murky, rhythmless fashion by Niels Arden Oplev..."(See all of Steven Rea's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 411 words, 03/08/13
Ty Burr, Boston Globe: MODERATE(cg) "Bullets fly, bodies plummet, a suburban castle gets destroyed in a lengthy climax... the director creates a bruised, moody vibe that holds longer than it should."(See all of Ty Burr's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 499 words, 03/08/13
Stephen Whitty, New Jersey Star-Ledger: MODERATE(cg) "...simply drives itself over the cliff, in an orgy of idiotic violence.... the sort of mindless violence rarely seen outside a wrestling show."(See all of Stephen Whitty's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 530 words, 03/08/13
Roger Moore, Seattle Times: WEAK(cg) "Rapace is all over the place... needy, then self-assured, enraged, then in love. The always feral Farrell seems as dismayed by her as the rest of us."(See all of Roger Moore's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 536 words, 03/09/13
ALTERNATIVE/INDIE PRESS (8 Reviews)
Nick Schager, Village Voice/LA Weekly: POOR "...laughably plotted and miscast... It's all so much turgid brooding, dialogue underlined with import, and leaden symbolism involving Rapace's white and red dresses..."(See all of Nick Schager's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 203 words, 03/13/13
Eric Eisenberg, Cinema Blend: MODERATE(cg) "...you celebrate the elements the film gets right and shake your head at the things it gets wrong.... an interesting miss, but it's a miss all the same."(See all of Eric Eisenberg's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 684 words, 03/09/13
Jordan Riefe, Boston Phoenix: VERY GOOD(cg) "...values character over tension.... Oplev delivers a movie that easily outdoes his wildly overrated 'Dragon Tattoo' and is tonally precise and brimming with humanity."(See all of Jordan Riefe's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 151 words, 03/07/13
Nathan Rabin, AV Club: WEAK(cg) "...takes forever to get going, unspooling its hopelessly convoluted, unwieldy plot for so long that it loses whatever marginal narrative momentum it possesses."(See all of Nathan Rabin's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 316 words, 03/08/13
Cynthia Fuchs, Pop Matters: WEAK(cg) "...never quite stops careening... you're left wondering at what a very bad professional killer he is, leaving himself open to surveillance by an amateur."(See all of Cynthia Fuchs's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 1,005 words, 03/09/13
Calum Marsh, Slant: POOR(cg) "...features inexplicably abandoned plot threads, cheaply manipulative turnabouts and twists, and crudely delineated character motivations."(See all of Calum Marsh's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 301 words, 03/07/13
Radheyan Simonpillai, Toronto Now: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "Oplev's muscular action movie almost buckles under the weight of its inconsequential tangents and convoluted plot.... can be a fascinating mess."(See all of Radheyan Simonpillai's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 211 words, 03/08/13
HIGHBROW PRESS (3 Reviews)
Manohla Dargis, New York Times: FAIR "...too innocuous to qualify as either actually good or delectably bad... Colin Farrell and his sensitive, hardworking eyebrows help keep it from becoming a full-bore lampoon..."(See all of Manohla Dargis's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 602 words, 03/08/13
Mark Jenkins, NPR: FAIR "...a tangle of plots and counterplots... just isn't very much fun.... a tale about the sacred obligation of vengeance, and watching it is a bit of a chore."(See all of Mark Jenkins's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 551 words, 03/05/13
Betsy Sharkey, Los Angeles Times: MODERATE "...the movie feels like it's trying too hard. Some moments are cleverly constructed, and others seem as if the filmmakers have left themselves no plausible escape."(See all of Betsy Sharkey's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 726 words, 03/08/13
MOVIE INDUSTRY (5 Reviews)
Peter Debruge, Variety: POOR "...revenge-fantasy dreck... a derivative collection of brazen plot holes and latenight-cable cliches into which Oplev drags 'Dragon' star Noomi Rapace..."(See all of Peter Debruge's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 753 words, 03/08/13
Michael Rechtshaffen, Hollywood Reporter: GOOD "...benefits from potent visuals and a compelling international cast that also includes lead Colin Farrell, Terrence Howard and Isabelle Huppert.... evocative, brooding..."(See all of Michael Rechtshaffen's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 367 words, 03/07/13
Betsy Sharkey, Los Angeles Times: MODERATE "...the movie feels like it's trying too hard. Some moments are cleverly constructed, and others seem as if the filmmakers have left themselves no plausible escape."(See all of Betsy Sharkey's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 726 words, 03/08/13
Emanuel Levy, Cinema 24/7: MODERATE(cg) "Neither a satisfying character-driven nor an engaging plot-oriented caper... suffers from haphazard, overly familiar narrative, and preposterous dialogue..."(See all of Emanuel Levy's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 255 words, 03/07/13
Manohla Dargis, New York Times: FAIR "...too innocuous to qualify as either actually good or delectably bad... Colin Farrell and his sensitive, hardworking eyebrows help keep it from becoming a full-bore lampoon..."(See all of Manohla Dargis's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 602 words, 03/08/13
18.7 Percentage Points Average Difference Between Reviews (Norm is 18.4pp; <18.4pp = More Consistent; >18.4pp = More Mixed)
Dead Man Down's reviews are separated by an average 18.7 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.
Dead Man Down (32 reviews) Roll over dots for each review
Coverage:Dead Man Down's reviews cover 58.0% of potential readers (average is 67.9%). Volume:The film's reviews total 15,154 words involume (average is 20,194 words). Length:The film's reviews average 474 words in length (the norm is 517 words).
Dead Man Down Coverage, Volume & Length (32 Reviews, reviews below)
Reviews Broke 46.8 Hours After Release (Norm is 1.2 Release)
Dead Man Down's reviews on average broke 46.8 hours after 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 Dead Man Down's opening day. Click on any bar for a list of the reviews for that day.
Dead Man Down (32 reviews, click on bars for reviews)
Mobile Web App version 1.2 shows a list of all current movies and review information. You can click through to the cast, director, synopsis, release date and rating on page two, plus individual reviews on page three. The information is updated on a live/real-time basis. You can also search our database of films. Designed for when you're on the move and want the latest info, this app will work on any mobile web browser. From your mobile device -- only from a mobile device -- open our Mobile Web App here...
