Closed Circuit 2013

Manohla Dargis, New York Times: A slick, tasty slice of late-summer nonsense ... Read more

Moira MacDonald, Seattle Times: Mostly, this movie is a series of well-acted implausible events, tied together by a lot of scenes of people running. Read more

Peter Debruge, Variety: Between Knight's nuanced script and Crowley's nimble direction, such contradictions shouldn't distract audiences much from the immediate thrills of this taut genre exercise, Read more

Bilge Ebiri, New York Magazine/Vulture: The somber tone conflicts with the far-fetched story line, sapping it of the energy it needs to effectively sell its twists and turns. Read more

A.A. Dowd, AV Club: Closed Circuit may be little more than a high-minded, shrewdly topical gloss on a shopworn genre, but its cynicism is bracing. Read more

Barbara VanDenburgh, Arizona Republic: It's a film that eschews intrigue and insinuation for government agents who monologue about the dangers of free speech and fair trials while garroting their victims. Read more

Tom Russo, Boston Globe: You hear that we're getting a British political thriller titled "Closed Circuit" and you instantly start to imagine the creepy possibilities. Read more

Jocelyn Noveck, Associated Press: A smart script by Steven Knight keeps the action humming along smoothly and concisely - if sometimes, it must be said, a bit illogically. Read more

Ben Sachs, Chicago Reader: The lawyers are supposed to be former lovers, but the film doesn't allow the leads to display any chemistry; likewise, it doesn't generate any suspense from its tried-and-true conspiracy premise. Read more

Michael Phillips, Chicago Tribune: Directed unfussily and well by John Crowley, "Closed Circuit" has enough on the ball in terms of atmosphere and crafty performances to take your mind off the gaps in logic. Read more

Lisa Kennedy, Denver Post: Sharp ensemble work ups this thriller's intelligence quotient. Read more

Owen Gleiberman, Entertainment Weekly: It has a chillingly matter-of-fact cynicism that is very au courant. Read more

Jordan Hoffman, Film.com: The whole picture is lifeless and without consequence and by the time everyone is chasing each other in the last scenes I guarantee your mind will be off somewhere. Read more

Stephen Farber, Hollywood Reporter: Well-acted British courtroom drama never really delivers the necessary thrills. Read more

Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times: A crisply enjoyable, professionally executed paranoid thriller of the "everyone is out to get us" variety. Read more

Connie Ogle, Miami Herald: Closed Circuit is the sort of movie that makes you wonder: Why was this made? Read more

Rafer Guzman, Newsday: A mystery-thriller-romance that is conspicuously missing three things. One is mystery, another is thrills and the last is anything approaching romance. Read more

Ella Taylor, NPR: It's storytelling informed by sloppy, absolutist thinking, and it lends one more uncritical voice to the many who seem unable to distinguish between kinds and degrees of evil ... Read more

Joe Neumaier, New York Daily News: This officious, aggravatingly overexplained drama gets more washed out and dull as it goes along. Read more

Lou Lumenick, New York Post: A credulity-straining thriller featuring a few good paranoid moments - and, perhaps most important, Rebecca Hall running in high heels. Read more

Steven Rea, Philadelphia Inquirer: Director John Crowley trots his crew around London, working up a suitable amount of suspense. And paranoia. Read more

James Berardinelli, ReelViews: The movie is low-key but each scene is packed with information. Full understanding demands full attention. Read more

Mick LaSalle, San Francisco Chronicle: "Closed Circuit" is steeped in the details of English law, and rather than being obscure or arcane, these details ground the film and give it an authentic air. Read more

Aisha Harris, Slate: There are enough genuine moments of surprise to make this genre exercise an invigorating one. Read more

Joe Williams, St. Louis Post-Dispatch: A light garnish of greater-good propaganda is supposed to make this potboiler palatable for contemporary audiences, but "Closed Circuit" is really a reheated leftover. Read more

Peter Howell, Toronto Star: Closed Circuit will engage you from the explosive opening frames. It may also leave a deep impression about the limits of personal freedom in a society where electronic eyes are everywhere. Read more

Alonso Duralde, TheWrap: It's a story that means to shock us with a tale of wrongdoings and cover-ups at the highest levels, but in this post-Edward Snowden/Chelsea Manning era, does any government-sanctioned chicanery come as a real surprise anymore? Read more

Tom Huddleston, Time Out: Ropey performances, join-the-dots plotting and nail-shreddingly awful dialogue. Read more

Claudia Puig, USA Today: Not only an intelligent, well-told and deftly acted story, it provides refreshing counter-programming in a season filled with noisy, uninspired sequels and mindless action movies. Read more

Stephanie Zacharek, Village Voice: It's curiously lacking in urgency. Read more

Ann Hornaday, Washington Post: Rife with convenient coincidences, predictable plot contrivances and breathtakingly perfunctory revelations. Read more