Dear Reader: Update, Movie Review Intelligence will
continue publishing this website through June (more...)
Search a Movie:
LEBANONMovie Reviews
Hebrew language war drama set in 1982 about four young men assigned to the same tank detail for an Israeli invasion of Lebanon. Cast:Yoav Donat, Itay Tiran, Oshri Cohen, Ashraf Barhom, Reymond AmsallemDirector:Samuel MaozRelease Date:August 6, 2010DVD Release:January 18, 2011From:Sony ClassicsRating:RLength:1 hr 33 min
Lebanon played in key cities to exceptional reviews. • J. Hoberman wrote in the Village Voice and LA Weekly, "...at once political allegory and existential combat movie... Blunt, clamorous, and harrowing... a formalist tour de force." • And Richard Corliss wrote in Time, "...no other Israeli movie, and few movies from any country, focus on the hell of war with the searing intensity of Samuel Maoz's 'Lebanon'..." More Reviews Below...
Richard Corliss, Time: OUTSTANDING "...no other Israeli movie, and few movies from any country, focus on the hell of war with the searing intensity of Samuel Maoz's 'Lebanon'..."(See all of Richard Corliss's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 734 words, 08/07/10
Lisa Schwarzbaum, Entertainment Weekly: OUTSTANDING(cg) "...out of moral agony comes at least one hopeful artistic by-product: the new maturity of filmmakers with clear vision, willing to peer through the gunsight one more time."(See all of Lisa Schwarzbaum's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 314 words, 08/06/10
get our iPhone app... or get our mobile web app...
movie review intelligence
NEW YORK/LOS ANGELES/CHICAGO/TORONTO (12 Reviews)
A.O. Scott, New York Times: OUTSTANDING "...provides American audiences with fresh evidence of the artistic awakening of Israeli cinema... 'Lebanon' accomplishes about as much as any war movie can."(See all of A.O. Scott's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 1,019 words, 08/06/10
Joe Neumaier, New York Daily News: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "While the tension, and structure, ultimately becomes too constricting, the power here is nonetheless remarkable."(See all of Joe Neumaier's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 121 words, 08/06/10
Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times: EXCELLENT "...excellent... a different kind of motion picture, and a different kind of audience experience. More of an experiential film than a carefully plotted narrative..."(See all of Kenneth Turan's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 691 words, 08/13/10
Michael Phillips, Chicago Tribune: OUTSTANDING(cg) "...the 94 minutes of 'Lebanon' are about as intense as an autobiographical war drama can be.... uncompromising drama, not easy to watch.... one of the year's highlights."(See all of Michael Phillips's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 532 words, 08/27/10
John Anderson, New York Newsday: OUTSTANDING(cg) "...an astonishing film that, despite its deliberately limited point of view, makes enormous and eloquent statements about war and human tolerance."(See all of John Anderson's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 332 words, 09/10/10
Jim Emerson, Chicago Sun-Times: OUTSTANDING(cg) "...an immersive war-movie experience like 'The Hurt Locker,' but turned inside out.... This is what it means to be in the belly of the beast."(See all of Jim Emerson's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 720 words, 08/26/10
J. Hoberman, Village Voice/LA Weekly: OUTSTANDING "...at once political allegory and existential combat movie -- Sartre's 'No Exit' as directed by Sam Fuller.... Blunt, clamorous, and harrowing... a formalist tour de force."(See all of J. Hoberman's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 1,045 words, 08/04/10
Liam Lacey, Toronto Globe & Mail: VERY GOOD(cg) "...an emotionally powerful if somewhat divided experience.... you never entirely lose the sense that the movie is a formal and calculated cinematic exercise..."(See all of Liam Lacey's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 548 words, 08/20/10
Norman Wilner, Toronto Now: EXCELLENT(cg) "...an experimental war movie that explores the chaos, terror and moral confusion experienced by soldiers on the ground... unique and gripping..."(See all of Norman Wilner's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 224 words, 08/19/10
Steven Rea, Philadelphia Inquirer: OUTSTANDING(cg) "...intensely powerful and frightening... in 'Lebanon,' Samuel Maoz shares his harrowing memories. It is not a comfortable film to watch, but it is an essential one."(See all of Steven Rea's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 499 words, 09/03/10
Roger Moore, Orlando Sentinel: VERY GOOD(cg) "...the accidents, blunders and simple terror of those about to fire their first shots in anger... closer to the real thing than most of us would care to get..."(See all of Roger Moore's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 481 words, 10/22/10
Tom Horgen, Minneapolis Star-Tribune: OUTSTANDING(cg) "...tells its entire story from the innards of a loud, careening metal tank. It is a grisly experience, and one of the greatest war films I have ever seen."(See all of Tom Horgen's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 604 words, 09/03/10
Stephen Whitty, Cleveland Plain-Dealer: VERY GOOD(cg) "The movie traps us in the tank with its crew.... It's a bold choice, but it doesn't always work to the film's advantage."(See all of Stephen Whitty's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 505 words, 10/01/10
Walter Addiego, San Francisco Chronicle: VERY GOOD(cg) "...forceful drama.... conveys an intensely visceral sense of the men's moment-to-moment experiences in the grimy sweatbox of the tank's interior."(See all of Walter Addiego's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 329 words, 08/20/10
Calvin Wilson, St. Louis Post-Dispatch: OUTSTANDING(cg) "Although 'Lebanon' is to be congratulated for its bold visual strategy and strong antiwar stance, the film becomes claustrophobic after a while."(See all of Calvin Wilson's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 272 words, 09/24/10
Steve Persall, St. Petersburg Times: MODERATE(cg) "...the only new thing I learned and sincerely doubt is that tank periscopes in 1982 could apparently zoom and pan like movie cameras with superimposed crosshairs..."(See all of Steve Persall's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 253 words, 10/08/10
Rene Rodriguez, Miami Herald: VERY GOOD(cg) "The moral ambiguity and confusion of war have rarely been captured with this much power... isn't quite so effective when it focuses on the bickering among the soldiers..."(See all of Rene Rodriguez's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 512 words, 09/03/10
ALTERNATIVE/INDIE PRESS (7 Reviews)
J. Hoberman, Village Voice/LA Weekly: OUTSTANDING "...at once political allegory and existential combat movie -- Sartre's 'No Exit' as directed by Sam Fuller.... Blunt, clamorous, and harrowing... a formalist tour de force."(See all of J. Hoberman's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 1,045 words, 08/04/10
Peter Keough, Boston Phoenix: MODERATE(cg) "...the claustrophobia intensifies the dehumanization, terror, and panic of battle -- a mood dispelled when the propaganda gets too obvious."(See all of Peter Keough's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 177 words, 09/09/10
Scott Tobias, AV Club: MODERATE(cg) "...a forceful, bruising experience that's good at conveying shell-fire mercilessness, but dramatically less effective when dealing with the small stuff."(See all of Scott Tobias's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 331 words, 08/05/10
Norman Wilner, Toronto Now: EXCELLENT(cg) "...an experimental war movie that explores the chaos, terror and moral confusion experienced by soldiers on the ground... unique and gripping..."(See all of Norman Wilner's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 224 words, 08/19/10
Curt Holman, Atlanta Creative Loafing: GOOD(cg) "The characters, however credible, seldom reveal more than one dimension... plotting suggests an overly simplified stage play, complete with Pinteresque pauses."(See all of Curt Holman's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 472 words, 09/22/10
HIGHBROW PRESS (4 Reviews)
Joe Morgenstern, Wall Street Journal: OUTSTANDING "If you think there's nothing more for the movies to say about war's madness, think again... short but shattering... It goes beyond the fog of war into functional blindness."(See all of Joe Morgenstern's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 246 words, 08/13/10
A.O. Scott, New York Times: OUTSTANDING "...provides American audiences with fresh evidence of the artistic awakening of Israeli cinema... 'Lebanon' accomplishes about as much as any war movie can."(See all of A.O. Scott's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 1,019 words, 08/06/10
Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times: EXCELLENT "...excellent... a different kind of motion picture, and a different kind of audience experience. More of an experiential film than a carefully plotted narrative..."(See all of Kenneth Turan's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 691 words, 08/13/10
Andrew O'Hehir, Salon: OUTSTANDING "Told entirely from the claustrophobic perspective of a tank crew... a terrifying, absorbing 93 minutes... one of the most remarkable war films in cinema history."(See all of Andrew O'Hehir's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 2,729 words, 08/06/10
MOVIE INDUSTRY (6 Reviews)
Derek Elley, Daily Variety: GOOD (NOT GREAT) "...packs every punch except one to the heart... the dialogue is largely functional, and their characters are neither likable nor especially interesting."(See all of Derek Elley's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 910 words, 09/07/09
Deborah Young, Hollywood Reporter: VERY GOOD "...a wrenching concentration of raw emotion directed by Samuel Maoz.... disturbing, high-voltage... a visceral horror described without letup or dramatic relief."(See all of Deborah Young's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 564 words, 09/08/09
Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times: EXCELLENT "...excellent... a different kind of motion picture, and a different kind of audience experience. More of an experiential film than a carefully plotted narrative..."(See all of Kenneth Turan's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 691 words, 08/13/10
Emanuel Levy, Cinema 24/7: OUTSTANDING(cg) "Physical, visceral, even sensual.... like the soldiers inside, we can never turn away or take a step back to breathe and reflect."(See all of Emanuel Levy's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 1,202 words, 05/03/10
A.O. Scott, New York Times: OUTSTANDING "...provides American audiences with fresh evidence of the artistic awakening of Israeli cinema... 'Lebanon' accomplishes about as much as any war movie can."(See all of A.O. Scott's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 1,019 words, 08/06/10
Joe Morgenstern, Wall Street Journal: OUTSTANDING "If you think there's nothing more for the movies to say about war's madness, think again... short but shattering... It goes beyond the fog of war into functional blindness."(See all of Joe Morgenstern's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 246 words, 08/13/10
19.1 Percentage Points Average Difference Between Reviews (Norm is 18.4pp; <18.4pp = More Consistent; >18.4pp = More Mixed)
Lebanon's reviews are separated by an average 19.1 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.
Lebanon (35 reviews) Roll over dots for each review
Coverage:Lebanon's reviews cover 50.6% of potential readers (average is 67.9%). Volume:The film's reviews total 20,383 words involume (average is 20,194 words). Length:The film's reviews average 582 words in length (the norm is 517 words).
Reviews Broke 3.2 Hours After Release (Norm is 1.2 Release)
Lebanon's reviews on average broke 3.2 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 Lebanon's opening day. Click on any bar for a list of the reviews for that day.
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...
