My Brother the Devil 2012

Jeannette Catsoulis, New York Times: Nuances of faith, politics and sexual identity enrich what initially presents as a classic good son-bad son tale, and although the film's melting-pot patois is occasionally too dense to decipher, we get the gist. Read more

Rex Reed, New York Observer: It's far superior to what usually comes out of the British slums in the genre of gangland thrillers. Read more

Mike D'Angelo, AV Club: It's refreshing to see a new generation reinterpret the classics. James Cagney would be proud. Read more

David Rooney, Hollywood Reporter: Sally El Hosaini brings sensitivity, distinctive identity and an invigorating adrenaline charge to a story of criminally inclined youth in suburban East London in her dynamic first feature. Read more

Mark Olsen, Los Angeles Times: "My Brother the Devil" is a promising debut that marks El Hosaini as a filmmaker to watch, but one still very much in the developmental stages. Read more

Mark Jenkins, NPR: El Hosaini fights the conventions of the brotherly gangster melodrama, but the conventions win. Read more

Farran Smith Nehme, New York Post: For at least part of its length, "My Brother the Devil" brings refreshing changes to a genre badly in need of them. Read more

Rick Groen, Globe and Mail: It's an impressive debut by a director blessed with a strong voice and a knack for bringing a specific cultural milieu to vibrant life, defying convention even while working within its strict limits. Read more

Linda Barnard, Toronto Star: My Brother the Devil brings a fresh and mature perspective to a story of shifting relationships between siblings, clearly marking the Egyptian-Welsh writer-director as someone on a path to greater things. Read more

David Fear, Time Out: Even those who aren't well-versed in the-'hood-always-wins dramas can see what's coming. Read more

John Anderson, Variety: An energetic and imaginative tale of siblings at a criminal crossroads. Read more

Alan Scherstuhl, Village Voice: A tender, bracing fraternal drama of London's gang life, the immigrant experience, and questions no smaller than what "manhood" might mean to young men whose traditional cultures are colliding with the worst-and the best-of the secular west. Read more

Michael O'Sullivan, Washington Post: A story of brothers that's both tough and tender. Read more