Kyle Smith, New York Post: The Lord works in mysterious ways but "Persecuted" works in blundering, obvious ways, straining a Christianity-under-attack theme through a dopey thriller. Read more
Justin Chang, Variety: Straw-man cinema doesn't get much more ludicrous than this heavy-handed, Christian-themed minister-on-the-run thriller. Read more
Frank Scheck, Hollywood Reporter: Persecuted squanders the talents of its impressive cast -- including James Remar, Bruce Davison, Fred Dalton Thompson and Dean Stockwell -- with its bizarre premise and inept execution. Read more
Neil Genzlinger, New York Times: Just why one particular TV preacher is so all-fired important isn't clear, and neither is anything else about this overwrought mess. Read more
Christy Lemire, RogerEbert.com: A heavy-handed and didactic drama which also manages to be totally mushy in terms of the message it's trying to convey. Read more