Arkansas
Lionsgate | Release Date (Streaming): May 5, 2020 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
55
METASCORE
Mixed or average reviews based on 19 Critic Reviews
Positive:
9
Mixed:
9
Negative:
1
Watch Now
Stream On
Stream On
Stream On
Buy on
Stream On
Stream On
Stream On
Stream On
Stream On
Expand

Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
78
Austin ChronicleRichard WhittakerMay 11, 2020
The reality is that most criminal enterprises operate under a shadow of confusion, of disorganization. That's the story of Arkansas, a hard-boiled noir where the end is written in the messy beginning. Read full review
75
UproxxVince ManciniMay 7, 2020
Where gangster and mafioso stories so often seem epic, taking the shape of classic rise-and-fall narratives, Arkansas is elusive and ephemeral. Its characters struggle to survive against a universe that doesn’t really care about them. It’s not the most escapist quarantine content, but there’s a simple beauty to it. Read full review
70
Los Angeles TimesMark OlsenMay 6, 2020
Amiably paced with comfortable, lived-in performances, Arkansas isn’t so much a crime drama or dark comedy as a depiction of a world in which illegal activities and their aftermath are simply part of a way of life. Read full review
70
VarietyDennis HarveyMay 4, 2020
Not everything here works, including some lead casting. But this daylight noir should please viewers willing to roll along with a crime meller more interested in character quirks than action thrills. Read full review
68
TheWrapSteve PondMay 4, 2020
While it’s hard to watch Arkansas and not see its debt to the Coen brothers, Duke finds a voice of his own in quiet, deadpan absurdities and southern-fried eccentricities. Read full review
67
The A.V. ClubNoel MurrayMay 4, 2020
While Arkansas is a promising and often very entertaining first feature, Duke doesn’t combine these borrowed ingredients—excellent though they are—into a fully realized original story, with its own personality. Read full review
67
The Film StageJared MobarakMay 4, 2020
The film bills itself as a suspense thriller due to the predicament Kyle and Swin must eventually try to escape, but it works best as a comedy using that narrative drama to entertain regardless of the stakes. Read full review
63
ObserverOliver JonesMay 6, 2020
Overall, it is the performers that give the story life and allow Arkansas to rise above some of its shallower instincts, which include a garish costume design that seems to posit the idea that people from the South dress like rodeo clowns. Hemsworth in particular brings a truth and measured heartbreak to his portrayal of someone who has been forced to glimpse how the world works and deeply wished he hadn’t. Read full review
63
Slant MagazineDavid RobbMay 5, 2020
The film’s insistence on keeping the stakes low throughout is probably its key strength. Read full review
60
The GuardianEllen E JonesJul 13, 2020
Not much about this film is original, but the buddy-pairing of two equally competent criminals is something we haven’t seen too often. Read full review
60
Rolling StonePeter TraversMay 6, 2020
What does matter, besides the collection of deranged characters who can’t escape their limitations, is the southern-fried atmosphere so resonantly captured by DP Steven Meizler (Contagion). Read full review
50
RogerEbert.comSimon AbramsMay 5, 2020
That kind of gallow’s humor defines the surface tone of Arkansas, which often feels like a riff on “Breaking Bad,” only now it’s more about how sad it is to be poor white trash. Read full review
50
Chicago TribuneKatie WalshMay 5, 2020
Arkansas doesn't break the mold on cheeky, stylish, low-life movies; rather, it worships it. Read full review
42
The PlaylistAsher LubertoMay 6, 2020
Arkansas is, for long stretches, laid back. Despite its cartoonish performances, the tone is defiantly low key, with little of the vigor you expect from something inspired by Tarantino. Read full review
40
EmpireDavid HughesJul 13, 2020
Feeling like a relic from the wave of ’90s crime ensembles that followed in Tarantino’s wake, Arkansas not only squanders some good talent, it’s a tragic waste of a fine book. Read full review
40
Screen RantSandy SchaeferMay 7, 2020
Arkansas struggles to find an internal rhythm - resulting in a laid-back crime film that suffers from flat execution, in spite of some bright spots. Read full review
40
The New York TimesDevika GirishMay 7, 2020
Less a mob thriller than a ruminative drama about a life built around orders and betrayals, the movie takes an unusual perspective on a familiar genre but is weighed down by its dull, uneven pace. Read full review
40
The Hollywood ReporterJohn DeForeMay 4, 2020
Despite some promising moments, the project never quite takes flight, partly thanks to mismatched performances that don't seem to agree on how quirky this film intends to be. Read full review
25
San Francisco ChronicleG. Allen JohnsonMay 4, 2020
Most of Arkansas — Duke’s home state, by the way — just falls flat, despite individual scenes here and there that work. Read full review
More From This Movie

55 Critic Reviews

5.4 User Reviews

Details & Credits|Trailers

Current Movie Releases
By MetascoreBy User Score
1 81 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple
2 77 Project Hail Mary
3 75 Send Help
4 73 Hoppers
5 72 The Sheep Detectives
SEE ALL
Essential Links
New on Amazon Prime Video
New on Netflix
Coming Soon to DVD/Blu-ray
SEE ALL