A Man Apart
New Line Cinema | Release Date: April 4, 2003 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
36
METASCORE
Generally unfavorable reviews based on 32 Critic Reviews
Positive:
3
Mixed:
17
Negative:
12
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
70
VarietyRobert Koehler
Diesel makes a violent bid to align himself with the Clint Eastwood-Charles Bronson-Steve McQueen tradition, but he lacks the charisma, emotional strength and humor to do so. Read full review
63
Philadelphia InquirerSteven Rea
Yes, there's a hastily added new ending - an ending that doesn't make sense when you think about it. Not that it's worth the effort Read full review
63
ReelViewsJames Berardinelli
Effectively paced and nicely choreographed, the fundamental letdown of the ending results in a mild sense of dissatisfaction. Read full review
50
Washington PostDesson Thomson
While you're enduring the usual formulaic yada yada -- at least there are yuks to enjoy. Read full review
50
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)Liam Lacey
A paint-by-numbers vigilante movie with the usual rogue cop, murdered wife and trail of vengeance. Read full review
50
Boston GlobeWesley Morris
Directed by F. Gary Gray and written by Christian Gudegast and Paul T. Scheuring, the movie isn't even worthy of former NFL linebacker turned straight-to-video action figure Brian Bosworth. Read full review
50
USA TodayMike Clark
It's all fast and furious up to its draggy finale, and yes, it could spark a sequel. Prepare yourself for coming dread in 18 months: "A Man Together." Read full review
50
Film ThreatClint Morris
Diesel is good in the movie. He gets to dance, cry, romanticise…things we’ve rarely see him do in other movies. There are actually hints of a real actor there. Read full review
50
SalonJeff Stark
There's not a single moment when you wonder what might happen next or when the spectacle simply leaps off the screen. You've seen it all before. Read full review
50
Baltimore SunChris Kaltenbach
Standard-bore action stuff, in which a macho stud superstar blows away lots of bad guys while struggling to make the world a better place. Read full review
50
Charlotte ObserverLawrence Toppman
Arnold Schwarzenegger, move over: Your dramatic replacement has arrived. Read full review
50
Chicago ReaderStaff (not credited)
The script for this action vehicle is like something you'd find under the cushions of Steven Seagal's couch, but Diesel, to his credit, digs into his role as if it were Hamlet. Read full review
50
San Francisco ChronicleMick LaSalle
Just another bloody cop thriller. Read full review
50
Los Angeles TimesKenneth Turan
Though it wasn't planned this way, it's an amusing exercise to view A Man Apart as an allegory for the war in Iraq. Read full review
50
Chicago Sun-TimesRoger Ebert
The screenplay tries to paper over too many story elements that needed a lot more thought. This movie has been filmed and released, but it has not been finished. Read full review
40
Austin ChronicleMarc Savlov
The film falls just shy of both Diesel and Gray's mark. Read full review
40
TV Guide MagazineMaitland McDonagh
The film works best when it's sticking to the guns and poses conventions of macho crime pictures. When it reaches for emotional resonance, the results range from unconvincing to ludicrous. Read full review
40
Film ThreatKevin Carr
The problem with A Man Apart”is that there is just too much badass going on. Read full review
40
L.A. WeeklyErnest Hardy
A Man Apart isn't awful, but it is almost reflexively rote, evoking countless other outlaw-cop films that are smarter, tighter and more fun. Read full review
40
The A.V. ClubNathan Rabin
A film that sometimes suggests "Traffic" remade as a brainless action thriller. Read full review
38
New York PostMegan Lehmann
Violent and unoriginal actioner. Read full review
38
Chicago TribuneMichael Wilmington
Sometimes, you can use a smaller devil to catch the Devil, the movie suggests. But in this case, the entire movie goes to hell in record time. Read full review
30
Washington PostWilliam Triplett
It really should be arrested for impersonating an interesting movie. Read full review
30
The New York TimesDave Kehr
A series of gun battles follow, none staged with quite enough verve or imagination to break through the pervasive torpor. Read full review
30
Dallas ObserverLuke Y. Thompson
Standard revenge shenanigans ensue, with more boo-hoo numbers from Vin, who ain't up to it -- he hasn't been this lame since, uh, ever. Read full review
30
Village VoiceJustine Elias
As limited as Diesel's movie persona may be, the actor has been notable for projecting a certain gentleness and warmth. That, along with logic and any sense of urgency, gets lost here amid the longueurs of a tired vengeance plot. Read full review
25
Rolling StonePeter Travers
It's a little early for self-parody in the career of Vin Diesel. But he's a calamitous cliché in A Man Apart. Read full review
25
Miami HeraldRene Rodriguez
Raises a few questions -- like just what were they thinking? Read full review
25
Christian Science MonitorDavid Sterritt
It will be interesting to see whether audiences embrace Mr. Diesel's barely controlled vigilante as warmly as they embraced Clint Eastwood's swaggering "Dirty Harry" and Charles Bronson's nasty "Death Wish" characters a few decades ago. Read full review
25
New York Daily NewsJami Bernard
The film would be totally unwatchable without the very real charisma of Diesel. Read full review
25
Entertainment WeeklyScott Brown
Sour, sadistic, and stale from sitting on the shelf since the pre-''XXX'' era -- an era I'm starting to miss. Read full review
25
Seattle Post-IntelligencerWilliam Arnold
There's a huge subplot that makes absolutely no sense at all and, in the end, the only thing the movie has going for it is Diesel's Neanderthal charm. Read full review
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