Arsenal
Lionsgate Premiere | Release Date: January 6, 2017 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
25
METASCORE
Generally unfavorable reviews based on 10 Critic Reviews
Positive:
0
Mixed:
4
Negative:
6
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
30
VarietyJoe LeydonJan 11, 2017
Arsenal, a pulpy crime drama about desperate characters and excessive carnage in Biloxi, Miss., is memorable primarily for some random scraps of loopy dialogue, the credible evocation of a sleazy demimonde rife with white-trash lawbreakers, and yet another Nicolas Cage performance that could be labeled Swift’s Premium and sold by the pound. Read full review
50
The Film StageJonah JengJan 6, 2017
In light of how riveting Cage is in this film, it is a shame that he doesn’t appear more. Though he is far and away the best part about Arsenal. Read full review
25
RogerEbert.comSimon AbramsJan 6, 2017
When Cage works with a less decisive director—or just one that's content to let Cage do whatever he wants—he seems to forget what acting is and desperately bellows for attention, like a neophyte actor whose intensity is his fallback pose. Read full review
40
The New York TimesJeannette CatsoulisJan 5, 2017
Despite solid acting (including John Cusack as a plainclothes detective), Arsenal is hobbled mainly by its director’s histrionic tendencies. Read full review
25
Chicago Sun-TimesRichard RoeperJan 5, 2017
Arsenal is garbage. The cast includes familiar faces...but it’s still a trashy, blood-spattered, sadistic thriller with a goes-nowhere plot, overwrought dialogue and a throbbing soundtrack that’ll leave your ears ringing. Read full review
10
Los Angeles TimesMichael RechtshaffenJan 5, 2017
Despite attracting some top-drawer talent, “Arsenal” is a brutally unpleasant, bottom-of-the-barrel crime drama that unsuccessfully attempts to drown the terrible dialogue and pedestrian direction with buckets of gushing blood. Read full review
30
Village VoiceMichael NordineJan 5, 2017
The main enticement is getting to see Cage go full bore. And he does, gesticulating wildly and assuming an unplaceable accent, but as the only combustible element in this otherwise lackadaisical film, his energy ends up bouncing around with nowhere to go. Read full review
42
The A.V. ClubJesse HassengerJan 4, 2017
Anything legitimately affecting about the movie bleeds out, and Cage delivering a blood-soaked monologue or simulating the sound of a burned esophagus isn’t enough on its own to turn Arsenal into the gory, borderline rococo thriller it starts aiming for around the halfway mark. It’s the rare case of a bonkers Cage performance counting as too little, too late. Read full review
12
Slant MagazineEd GonzalezJan 3, 2017
It's a misnomer to label the climax of Steven C. Miller's patently sick Arsenal an actual climax. Read full review
50
The Hollywood ReporterSheri LindenJan 3, 2017
Ratcheting up Eddie’s malevolence in ways large and small, Cage delivers the latest installment in his singularly unfettered brand of over-the-top screen madness. Read full review
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