Two Men in Town 2014

Jay Weissberg, Variety: Bouchareb's free adaptation benefits from Brenda Blethyn's well-modulated performance, yet the over-signaled narrative feels like a rehash, and the leaps of faith required are wider than Dead Man's Gulch. Read more

Ignatiy Vishnevetsky, AV Club: Even if the accents are questionable or inconsistent, there's still a sense of place and geography that's rare in contemporary American film. This is the county-sized world of a parolee, where everything seems small except the horizon. Read more

Deborah Young, Hollywood Reporter: What seems meant as a scorching indictment of American injustice and prejudice, or perhaps the searing character study of a cornered man, just ends up looking wishy-washy and old-fashioned. Read more

Sheri Linden, Los Angeles Times: The setting is striking, the cast impressive. But "Two Men in Town," a drama that's built on dread and circles the question of redemption for a newly released prisoner, falls short of the mythic territory it aspires to. Read more

Tomas Hachard, NPR: The movie's melancholic, atmospheric tone, coupled with a muted performance from Whitaker, offers a new way into the material. Read more

A.O. Scott, New York Times: The desert landscapes are gorgeously shot by Yves Cape, but "Two Men in Town" never seems to fully inhabit its setting. Nor does the schematic, occasionally clumsy story do justice to the skills of the cast. Read more

Sherilyn Connelly, Village Voice: Blethyn is wonderful as an all-too-rare character, a middle-aged woman who holds her own in a position of authority over violent men. Read more

Bilge Ebiri, New York Magazine/Vulture: It'll be easy for some to dismiss this as a familiar story told all too coolly, but look closer and you'll see it has a raging heart. Read more