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FIFTY DEAD MEN WALKINGMovie Reviews
Thriller about a small-time con man recruited by the British police to infiltrate the IRA at the height of the Irish civil conflict. Cast:Jim Sturgess, Ben Kingsley, Kevin Zegers, Natalie Press, Rose McGowanDirector:Kari SkoglandRelease Date:August 21, 2009DVD Release:January 5, 2010From:Phase 4 FilmsRating:RLength:1 hr. 57 min.
JANUARY 5, 2010
Fifty Dead Men Walking, Good Reviews, Mixed Key Cities
Fifty Dead Men Walking played in key cities to good reviews that at the same time were mixed. • Colin Covert wrote in the Minneapolis Star-Tribune, "...hums with nervous energy." • And Gerald Peary wrote in the Boston Phoenix, "...a fast-paced but uninvolving melodrama that's not helped by a hammy Ben Kingsley as an English underground cop or Rose McGowan as a hottie IRA babe." More Reviews Below...
Fifty Dead Men Walking Positive Reviews (16 Reviews, reviews below)
Lisa Schwarzbaum, Entertainment Weekly: VERY GOOD(cg) "Writer-director Kari Skogland's sharp-edged, doc-style drama.... Jim Sturgess ('Across the Universe') makes a believable cocky lad..."(See all of Lisa Schwarzbaum's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 109 words, 08/28/09
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Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times: OUTSTANDING(cg) "In this film, Kari Skogland, as Kathryn Bigelow does in 'The Hurt Locker,' demolishes the notion that women can't direct action."(See all of Roger Ebert's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 633 words, 08/20/09
Gary Goldstein, Los Angeles Times: GOOD "Terrific performances and an array of kinetic action scenes help distinguish this from the seemingly endless stream of films about Northern Ireland's infamous era of sectarian violence known as the Troubles."(See all of Gary Goldstein's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 245 words, 12/04/09
Michael Phillips, Chicago Tribune: VERY GOOD(cg) "...tells a dramatically compressed, highly charged version of one tout's life story, which is also the story of the same man's multiple near-deaths."(See all of Michael Phillips's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 454 words, 08/21/09
James Adams, Toronto Globe & Mail: VERY GOOD(cg) "...woos and wins as a thriller. The menace is palpable, and the stakes never feel less than a matter of life or death."(See all of James Adams's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 899 words, 08/07/09
Aaron Hillis, Village Voice/LA Weekly: WEAK "...a slick, soapy procedural... again proves how easy it is to shamelessly bilk audiences of their empathy with an 'inspired by true events' credit."(See all of Aaron Hillis's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 223 words, 08/19/09
Wesley Morris, Boston Globe: MODERATE(cg) "This is like 'The Departed' for people who prefer their Martin Scorsese films to look like old-school made-for-television movies that rely on a lot of flattening shortcuts."(See all of Wesley Morris's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 515 words, 08/21/09
Colin Covert, Minneapolis Star-Tribune: OUTSTANDING(cg) "The film hums with nervous energy.... Jim Sturgess burns like a blowtorch as the unruly lowlife turned reluctant hero."(See all of Colin Covert's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 201 words, 09/11/09
ALTERNATIVE/INDIE PRESS (4 Reviews)
Aaron Hillis, Village Voice/LA Weekly: WEAK "...a slick, soapy procedural... again proves how easy it is to shamelessly bilk audiences of their empathy with an 'inspired by true events' credit."(See all of Aaron Hillis's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 223 words, 08/19/09
Gerald Peary, Boston Phoenix: MODERATE(cg) "...a fast-paced but uninvolving melodrama that's not helped by a hammy Ben Kingsley as an English underground cop or Rose McGowan as a hottie IRA babe."(See all of Gerald Peary's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 122 words, 08/20/09
Gary Goldstein, Los Angeles Times: GOOD "Terrific performances and an array of kinetic action scenes help distinguish this from the seemingly endless stream of films about Northern Ireland's infamous era of sectarian violence known as the Troubles."(See all of Gary Goldstein's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 245 words, 12/04/09
Doris Toumarkine, Hollywood Reporter: OUTSTANDING "Docu-like film based on exploits of an actual Belfast hood turned informer against IRA terrorists is an explosive cinematic experience."(See all of Doris Toumarkine's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 504 words, 08/18/09
Gary Goldstein, Los Angeles Times: GOOD "Terrific performances and an array of kinetic action scenes help distinguish this from the seemingly endless stream of films about Northern Ireland's infamous era of sectarian violence known as the Troubles."(See all of Gary Goldstein's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 245 words, 12/04/09
21.5 Percentage Points Average Difference Between Reviews (Norm is 18.4pp; <18.4pp = More Consistent; >18.4pp = More Mixed)
Fifty Dead Men Walking's reviews are separated by an average 21.5 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.
Fifty Dead Men Walking (16 reviews) Roll over dots for each review
Coverage:Fifty Dead Men Walking's reviews cover 20.2% of potential readers (average is 67.9%). Volume:The film's reviews total 5,819 words involume (average is 20,172 words). Length:The film's reviews average 364 words in length (the norm is 517 words).
Fifty Dead Men Walking Coverage, Volume & Length (16 Reviews, reviews below)
Reviews Broke 11 Days After Release (Norm is 1.2 Release)
Fifty Dead Men Walking's reviews on average broke 11 days 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 Fifty Dead Men Walking's opening day. Click on any bar for a list of the reviews for that day.
Fifty Dead Men Walking (16 reviews, click on bars for reviews)
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