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James Rocchi, MSN Movies: Marling and Batmangli are smart enough to know that character and ideas matter, and how the presence of those things can improve action and suspense. Read more
A.O. Scott, New York Times: "The East" is a neat little thriller about ends and means and ethical quandaries. Read more
Rex Reed, New York Observer: The East suffers from the same weakness as the cult members Sarah works so hard to understand: a questionable definition of morality that overpowers an ultimate sense of reason. Read more
Joe Morgenstern, Wall Street Journal: The whole movie has the smugness of a cult. At one and the same time it's devoid of reality and insufferably full of itself. Read more
Soren Anderson, Seattle Times: Marling and Batmanglij bring an evenhanded perspective to their portrayals of the characters and issues involved. Read more
Bill Goodykoontz, Arizona Republic: It is a smart, well-acted drama, and another chance for Marling to exercise her unique talents, creating intriguing characters on the page and the screen. Read more
Ty Burr, Boston Globe: A watchably confused eco-thriller that's never sure who its heroes are. Read more
Ben Sachs, Chicago Reader: When the filmmakers try to flesh out the terrorists, they fall back on the conservative cliche that they're spoiled rich kids, mad at their parents. Read more
Michael Phillips, Chicago Tribune: The reason the movie works, despite some "movie-stupid" developments in the second half, has everything to do with the low-key and unaffected quality Marling brings to the screen. Read more
Tom Long, Detroit News: "The East" leaves questions unanswered, but at least it asks those questions. Read more
Leah Greenblatt, Entertainment Weekly: A compelling portrait of what gets lost (and found) when a cause becomes an obsession. Read more
Jordan Hoffman, Film.com: If "The East" were from anyone other than writer/director Zal Batmanglij and writer/star Brit Marling, I'd be much more excited about it. Read more
Wesley Morris, Grantland: Marling and Batmanglij don't fear or resent entertainment: They make effective thrillers... If they reach a major studio and bigger budget, they could be the right kind of dangerous. Read more
John DeFore, Hollywood Reporter: Undercover anxieties drive satisfying eco-minded suspense film. Read more
Betsy Sharkey, Los Angeles Times: By spicing up a complex morality tale marked by sophisticated themes with down and dirty back stabbing and betrayals, the movie turns corporate malfeasance into a spy game that is entertaining without being dumbed down. Read more
Rene Rodriguez, Miami Herald: The latest collaboration between director Zal Batmanglij and screenwriter Brit Marling suffers from the same problem as their previous picture, Sound of My Voice: It's taut, compelling, unpredictable and completely wipes out in the final few minutes. Read more
Richard Brody, New Yorker: This absurdly superficial and tendentious drama, directed with no distinction, wastes a superb cast in the interest of self-righteous attitudinizing. Read more
Stephen Whitty, Newark Star-Ledger: As uncertain as she is as a screenwriter, Marling is even less accomplished as an actress - problems she compounds by invariably giving herself the lead role in her own scripts. Read more
Ella Taylor, NPR: The East makes for a passable thriller, as 1 percenters get theirs in satisfying, if incrementally implausible ways. Read more
Joe Neumaier, New York Daily News: This great, industrial-strength thriller is busy thinking even when it's quiet. Read more
Kyle Smith, New York Post: A cockamamie valentine to eco-terrorism. Read more
Steven Rea, Philadelphia Inquirer: A taut espionage drama that pits global corporations against a radical band of ecoterrorists. Read more
Ignatiy Vishnevetsky, Chicago Sun-Times: "The East" prizes an initial air of mystery over consistent drama, and as a result ends up squandering its intriguing premise. Read more
Peter Travers, Rolling Stone: Eco-terrorism drives the plot of The East, but this propulsive thriller is laced with a humanism that trumps any political agenda. Read more
Andrew O'Hehir, Salon.com: Almost but not quite the truly terrific movie that Batmanglij and Marling are going to make one day ... Read more
Mick LaSalle, Hearst Newspapers: As is often the case with people who become major stars, [Marling] seems as if she has always been there. She's new and yet familiar, as if we've known her all along. Read more
Colin Covert, Minneapolis Star Tribune: A fast-rising newcomer to film, the willowy Marling is maturing fast, and encouragingly unwilling to dumb herself down for stock girlfriend roles. This is her strongest work yet and I hope a harbinger of much more to come. Read more
Bill Zwecker, Chicago Sun-Times: Another project that proves this actress and filmmaker has the chops that will guarantee her longevity in the movie industry. Read more
James Adams, Globe and Mail: The East is not a very good movie, hobbled by an excess of plot, a lack of believability and big gaps of logic. Read more
Peter Howell, Toronto Star: Marling has a focus and poise that keeps us invested in her character's journey - even when the film begins to falter, as The East eventually does through inconsistency and expedience. Read more
Guy Lodge, Time Out: Its morally ambiguous investigation of extreme left-wing politics is ... light years away from usual multiplex concerns. Read more
Joshua Rothkopf, Time Out: Coming in our moment of recent domestic terror, the movie has a boldness in diving into the whys of political violence. Read more
Claudia Puig, USA Today: This well-paced story is tense and thoughtful, and is anchored by a trio of terrific performances. Read more
Justin Chang, Variety: The second picture in a fascinating collaboration with producer-writer-star Brit Marling, this clever, involving spy drama builds to a terrific level of intrigue before losing some steam in its second half. Read more
Amy Nicholson, Village Voice: It's disappointing that, for all its empathy and equilibrium, The East has nowhere to go after the script backs itself into a corner. Read more
David Edelstein, New York Magazine/Vulture: In most respects a conventional genre picture. But it's passionate (and weird) enough to evolve into something mysterious and moving. Read more
Michael O'Sullivan, Washington Post: As a scriptwriter, actress Brit Marling has so far demonstrated an unerring instinct for creating meaty, if somewhat hard-to-swallow, roles for herself. Read more