Kill the Messenger 2014

Wesley Morris, Grantland: Cliches and obviousness litter the movie. Read more

Kyle Smith, New York Post: Renner, also a producer of the movie, makes the fatal mistake of rendering a complicated figure a simple warrior for facts. Read more

John Anderson, Wall Street Journal: If the screenplay to "Kill the Messenger" were a news story, any capable copydesk would have kicked it back to the reporter-not for a shortage of facts, but a lack of dramatic soul. Read more

Soren Anderson, Seattle Times: A gripping, thoughtful picture. Read more

Andrew Barker, Variety: Jeremy Renner gives his best performance since 'The Hurt Locker' in this assiduous, engrossing drama about the late investigative reporter Gary Webb. Read more

Jesse Hassenger, AV Club: This story deserves to be told, and this movie isn't a bad telling. It just wouldn't cut it as pure fiction; it's more informative than entertaining. Read more

Bill Goodykoontz, Arizona Republic: The film tells the story from Webb's point of view without exonerating him. In fact, we never learn enough about just what was and wasn't true, or how far Webb stretched the truth. Read more

Tom Russo, Boston Globe: It's an engrossing portrait not only of government intrigue and crusading after the truth, but of media and their tangled motivations. Read more

J. R. Jones, Chicago Reader: Director Michael Cuesta, a veteran of HBO's Homeland, imparts enough paranoid-thriller ambience to propel the complex story. Read more

Chris Vognar, Dallas Morning News: If the pacing sags a little, and the scale is more modest than the 60 Minutes scandal at the heart of The Insider, Kill the Messenger is still crisp, smart and gutsy. Read more

Adam Graham, Detroit News: Drugs, government, truths, mustaches. "Kill the Messenger" is an admirable journalism thriller that takes on a lot of big subjects. Read more

Todd McCarthy, Hollywood Reporter: Renner appears completely immersed in his role and when the clouds of doubt accumulate and the man becomes a professional pariah, it's a painful thing to see. Read more

Betsy Sharkey, Los Angeles Times: [Renner] inhabits the character completely, digging into the role with the same won't-let-go fierceness Webb himself displayed when newsworthy information came his way. Read more

Amy Nicholson, L.A. Weekly: Kill the Messenger is a David-and-Goliath story where truth is the slingshot - a fragile weapon that needs to score a fatal hit before the big guy gets mad. Read more

Rafer Guzman, Newsday: "Kill the Messenger" achieves the jittery tension of "The Insider," if not quite the righteous fervor of "All the President's Men." Read more

David Denby, New Yorker: Jeremy Renner is the main reason to see "Kill the Messenger." Read more

Stephen Whitty, Newark Star-Ledger: A serious, interesting film about a very simple concept: The Truth. And how very complicated that can sometimes become. Read more

Mark Jenkins, NPR: Kill the Messenger does a credible if not dazzling job. In fact, the movie is a lot like the reporting that inspired it: a good introduction to a diabolically tangled tale. Read more

Elizabeth Weitzman, New York Daily News: If this movie is any guide, Webb's later years deserve a film of their own. We ought to know more about this fascinating character. And we ought to see more of the fully engaged actor playing him. Read more

Manohla Dargis, New York Times: The film falters as the story swells and churns ... Read more

Tirdad Derakhshani, Philadelphia Inquirer: Kill the Messenger does a fine job of dramatizing Webb's reporting. The suspense reminds one of All the President's Men, if the structure and writing pale in comparison. Read more

James Berardinelli, ReelViews: Jeremy Renner hasn't been this good since The Hurt Locker (although most of his output since then has been in popcorn movies - hey, the guy needs to make a living). Read more

Peter Travers, Rolling Stone: It's oversold and under-reported. But Kill the Messenger flies high on Jeremy Renner's all-stops-out performance as 1990s-era journalist Gary Webb. Flaws aside, the film inspires a moral outrage that feels disconcertingly timely. Read more

Mick LaSalle, San Francisco Chronicle: "Kill the Messenger" tells an interesting tale, but it's caught in an odd zone between too-Hollywood and not Hollywood enough. If only screenwriters got to choreograph real life. Read more

Rob Nelson, Minneapolis Star Tribune: To his credit, Cuesta is interested not only in the darkest side of democracy, but in how Webb's fiery work impacts his personal life. Read more

Joe Williams, St. Louis Post-Dispatch: While the chronological details and social significance of the story Webb reported get shortchanged, "Kill the Messenger" is a vital reminder that a free press must be free to press the powerful for answers. Read more

Liam Lacey, Globe and Mail: A resonant journalistic cautionary tale gets packaged as a hokey thriller in Kill the Messenger, a movie with a message that isn't nearly as urgent as it needs to be. Read more

Alonso Duralde, TheWrap: The intent of the film, and its timeliness, are beyond reproach, but that doesn't make "Kill the Messenger" as stirring or inspiring of indignation as it clearly wants to be. Read more

Joshua Rothkopf, Time Out: To use the parlance of journalism, Kill the Messenger buries the lede ... Read more

Claudia Puig, USA Today: Kill the Messenger is an intriguing, chilling and briskly paced film that, despite its flaws, seems particularly timely, given the level of distrust for the government and its intelligence-gathering efforts. Read more

David Edelstein, New York Magazine/Vulture: Kill the Messenger made me so angry over the apparent injustice done to its journalist hero, Gary Webb (Jeremy Renner), that I found it hard to remain in my seat. Read more

Michael O'Sullivan, Washington Post: Despite the film's heavy-handed effort at vindication, Renner manages to deliver a performance that is complex and satisfyingly contradictory. Read more