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HUNGER (2009)Movie Reviews
Historic drama about the battle in infamous H-block of Belfast's Maze Prison, led by Bobby Sands, who refused to eat until the British government acknowledged the IRA as a legitimate political organization. Cast:Brian Milligan, Liam McMahon, Michael Fassbender, Liam Cunningham, Stuart Graham, Laine MegawDirector:Steve McQueenRelease Date:March 20, 2009DVD Release:February 16, 2010From:IFCLength:1 hr 36 min
Hunger (2009) played in key cities to outstanding reviews. • Ty Burr wrote in the Boston Globe, "...a visually ravishing tour of hell and a meditation on freedom... electrifying..." • And Ann Hornaday wrote in the Washington Post, "Steve McQueen, a Turner Prize-winning artist who has become a sensation on the museum circuit, has made a film as dazzling as it is unsettling." More Reviews Below...
Lisa Schwarzbaum, Entertainment Weekly: OUTSTANDING(cg) "...a disturbingly avid re-creation of the last six weeks in the life and slow, self-imposed wasting of Irish hunger striker Bobby Sands (Fassbender)..."(See all of Lisa Schwarzbaum's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 103 words, 03/20/09
Christy Lemire, Associated Press: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "Is 'Hunger' trying to enlighten us about man's inhumanity to man, or merely startle us?... both shocking and beautiful.... easier to admire than it is to like."(See all of Christy Lemire's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 580 words, 03/26/09
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NEW YORK/LOS ANGELES/CHICAGO/TORONTO (10 Reviews)
A.O. Scott, New York Times: OUTSTANDING "...often stomach turningly graphic, but what is perhaps most unnerving is the tact, patience and care with which Mr. McQueen depicts its causes and effects."(See all of A.O. Scott's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 903 words, 03/20/09
Joe Neumaier, New York Daily News: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...emotionally devastating... isn't for the squeamish.... the violence against prisoners and the effects of death by starvation are visceral and incredibly difficult to watch."(See all of Joe Neumaier's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 112 words, 03/20/09
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times: OUTSTANDING(cg) " 'Hunger' is not about the rights and wrongs of the British in Northern Ireland, but about inhumane prison conditions..."(See all of Roger Ebert's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 579 words, 04/16/09
Kyle Smith, New York Post: VERY GOOD(cg) "Regardless of politics, one must grant McQueen's substantial gifts, which bring to mind Paul Greengrass in another Northern Ireland film, 'Bloody Sunday.' "(See all of Kyle Smith's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 459 words, 03/20/09
Michael Phillips, Chicago Tribune: VERY GOOD(cg) "McQueen and cinematographer Sean Bobbitt seek out the perverse beauty amid excrement-stained prison walls and the vicious ballet..."(See all of Michael Phillips's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 495 words, 04/17/09
Rick Groen, Toronto Globe & Mail: OUTSTANDING(cg) "In politics no less than religion, the suffering body is the martyr's last and fullest testament. The body is his art, etched in blood and excrement..."(See all of Rick Groen's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 976 words, 04/10/09
J. Hoberman, Village Voice/LA Weekly: OUTSTANDING "...a superbly balanced piece of work, addressing the passion of Irish Republican martyr Bobby Sands, who starved himself to death in Belfast's Maze prison in 1981."(See all of J. Hoberman's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 800 words, 03/18/09
Norman Wilner, Toronto Now: OUTSTANDING(cg) "...devastating, defiantly non-partisan... The absence of moral judgment is one of the most thrilling things about this film.... Not easily experienced, not easily forgotten."(See all of Norman Wilner's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 108 words, 04/09/09
KEY CITIES (9 Reviews)
Ann Hornaday, Washington Post: OUTSTANDING(cg) "Steve McQueen, a Turner Prize-winning artist who has become a sensation on the museum circuit, has made a film as dazzling as it is unsettling."(See all of Ann Hornaday's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 655 words, 04/03/09
Reyhan Harmanci, San Francisco Chronicle: OUTSTANDING(cg) "Steve McQueen is a well-known visual artist turned feature film director who makes you wish more moviemakers went to art school."(See all of Reyhan Harmanci's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 379 words, 04/03/09
Steven Rea, Philadelphia Inquirer: OUTSTANDING(cg) "Through McQueen's lens, what matters most is the human spirit, the human body, and what spirit and body are capable of."(See all of Steven Rea's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 483 words, 04/17/09
Ty Burr, Boston Globe: OUTSTANDING(cg) "...a visually ravishing tour of hell and a meditation on freedom that at best is wordlessly profound and at worst interestingly obscure.... electrifying..."(See all of Ty Burr's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 714 words, 03/27/09
Colin Covert, Minneapolis Star-Tribune: OUTSTANDING(cg) "...a probing, clinical, oddly beautiful examination of one man's decision to die, to face the moment that we all must, on his own terms."(See all of Colin Covert's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 533 words, 04/10/09
Jeff Shannon, Seattle Times: OUTSTANDING(cg) "...a harrowing yet unforgettably vivid account of the politically charged hunger strike by Northern Irish republican Bobby Sands..."(See all of Jeff Shannon's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 544 words, 04/10/09
John Petkovic, Cleveland Plain-Dealer: OUTSTANDING(cg) "...there is no respite, nothing to look forward to, nothing to beat your chest about or 'believe' in. No escape. And yet you can't deny the power."(See all of John Petkovic's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 393 words, 05/01/09
J. Hoberman, Village Voice/LA Weekly: OUTSTANDING "...a superbly balanced piece of work, addressing the passion of Irish Republican martyr Bobby Sands, who starved himself to death in Belfast's Maze prison in 1981."(See all of J. Hoberman's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 800 words, 03/18/09
Peter Keough, Boston Phoenix: OUTSTANDING(cg) "...evokes the fracturing of chronology in prison conditions, when time is measured in the growth of hair and the healing of wounds."(See all of Peter Keough's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 430 words, 04/02/09
Norman Wilner, Toronto Now: OUTSTANDING(cg) "...devastating, defiantly non-partisan... The absence of moral judgment is one of the most thrilling things about this film.... Not easily experienced, not easily forgotten."(See all of Norman Wilner's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 108 words, 04/09/09
A.O. Scott, New York Times: OUTSTANDING "...often stomach turningly graphic, but what is perhaps most unnerving is the tact, patience and care with which Mr. McQueen depicts its causes and effects."(See all of A.O. Scott's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 903 words, 03/20/09
Leslie Felperin, Daily Variety: GOOD (NOT GREAT) "McQueen really overeggs the pudding in the final reel, where (and this is no spoiler for anyone glancingly versed in Sands' story) the protagonist wastes away..."(See all of Leslie Felperin's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 899 words, 05/26/08
Ray Bennett, Hollywood Reporter: WEAK "Violent, bleak and depressing... the film adds nothing to the debate over broader issues involving such places as Guantanamo Bay and Abu Graib."(See all of Ray Bennett's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 458 words, 05/16/08
A.O. Scott, New York Times: OUTSTANDING "...often stomach turningly graphic, but what is perhaps most unnerving is the tact, patience and care with which Mr. McQueen depicts its causes and effects."(See all of A.O. Scott's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 903 words, 03/20/09
18.3 Percentage Points Average Difference Between Reviews (Norm is 18.4pp; <18.4pp = More Consistent; >18.4pp = More Mixed)
Hunger (2009)'s reviews are separated by an average 18.3 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.
Hunger (2009) (28 reviews) Roll over dots for each review
Coverage:Hunger (2009)'s reviews cover 39.4% of potential readers (average is 67.9%). Volume:The film's reviews total 14,511 words involume (average is 20,194 words). Length:The film's reviews average 518 words in length (the norm is 517 words).
Reviews Broke 6 Days After Release (Norm is 1.2 Release)
Hunger (2009)'s reviews on average broke 6 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 Hunger (2009)'s opening day. Click on any bar for a list of the reviews for that day.
Hunger (2009) (28 reviews, click on bars for reviews)
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