Bethlehem
Adopt Films | Release Date: March 7, 2014 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
68
METASCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 21 Critic Reviews
Positive:
16
Mixed:
5
Negative:
0
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
90
The DissolveNoah BerlatskyMar 5, 2014
In a spy story, Bethlehem insists, there are no good guys or bad guys, and no victor—just day-in, day-out deceit and betrayal, the weary work of hate. Read full review
88
Boston GlobePeter KeoughMar 6, 2014
A taut, expertly constructed, and suspenseful police procedural, it also explores the issues of loyalty, trust, betrayal, and revenge that those engaged in such morally ambiguous if essential activities would prefer not to think about. Read full review
83
The A.V. ClubMike D'AngeloMar 5, 2014
Superficially similar to Hany Abu-Assad’s Oscar-nominated Omar, it’s a considerably more complex and nuanced examination of the conflicted loyalties and dangerous relationships that characterize daily life in the Middle East, featuring remarkably strong, charismatic performances by a host of mostly non-professional actors. Read full review
80
The New York TimesManohla DargisMar 6, 2014
Bethlehem is emphatically political, as perhaps any movie about warring Israelis and Palestinians must be. Yet its ideas are more complex than is suggested by either its schematic story or fast-moving genre elements. Read full review
80
New York Daily NewsJordan HoffmanMar 6, 2014
“The Wire” meets the West Bank in this searing drama loaded with action and nuanced characters. Read full review
75
Christian Science MonitorPeter RainerMar 7, 2014
The movie doesn’t delve especially deeply into the psychology of double-agentry, and the shifting viewpoints between Israelis and Palestinians flattens the drama instead of broadening it. Read full review
75
San Francisco ChronicleMick LaSalleMar 6, 2014
An entertaining film, but also an uncompromising one. It is harsh and not particularly hopeful, and it presents a situation so tangled and contorted, with so many interests in collision, that a lasting peace between the Israelis and Palestinians seems a distant prospect. Read full review
70
Arizona RepublicBill GoodykoontzMar 27, 2014
In Bethlehem Adler tries to make some sense of that world, and to the extent that it's possible, succeeds. Read full review
70
Village VoiceZachary WigonMar 4, 2014
Refusing to take sides or vilify his characters, Adler finds the humanity in all parties. Read full review
70
VarietyLeslie FelperinDec 29, 2013
The film comprises an impressive directorial debut for Adler who demonstrates a confident grasp of pace, place and thesp handling. Read full review
67
The PlaylistOliver LytteltonDec 29, 2013
It’s a strong and eye-catching debut, but one that doesn’t quite mark its ground as the next big thing in Israeli cinema. Read full review
65
NPRBob MondelloFeb 21, 2014
Bethlehem qualifies as a promising debut for its first-time actors and director, but it's slack at first, and the thriller tricks it uses to ratchet up the tension later — musical underscoring, careening vehicles, threatening crowds — keep it from sneaking past your defenses. Read full review
63
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)Liam LaceyApr 3, 2014
As a story about a war that is unresolved, it seems better suited to a provisional “To be continued” than the certainty of “The end.” Read full review
63
RogerEbert.comSheila O'MalleyMar 7, 2014
When it stays with the two leads, one Israeli, one Palestinian, it makes a compelling story. Read full review
63
Washington PostMichael O'SullivanMar 6, 2014
Adler nicely harnesses the mounting volatility of this situation, which builds to an intense if tragic conclusion. Read full review
63
Slant MagazineOscar MoraldeFeb 17, 2014
In the end, the film's misstep isn't some failure at being sufficiently morally gray. In being the thriller that it is, it smudges the palette beyond recognition. Read full review
60
Los Angeles TimesSheri LindenMar 6, 2014
The movie has the taut efficiency of a well-constructed crime thriller, while its real-world underpinnings play out with a less convincing sense of urgency. Read full review
60
Time OutJoshua RothkopfMar 4, 2014
Densely plotted by director Yuval Adler and Ali Wakad (the former Israeli, the latter Palestinian), this informant crime drama finds admirable complexity in the folds of its shifting allegiances — even if you’ve seen this dynamic done better in movies like "The Departed." Read full review
60
The Hollywood ReporterStephen DaltonDec 29, 2013
Strip away the Middle East backdrop and Bethlehem is a fairly routine thriller about good cops, corrupt bureaucrats and armed criminal gangs. Read full review
60
The TelegraphRobbie CollinDec 29, 2013
You’re left wishing that Adler had focused more on the no-win moral tangle of the handler-informant relationship, and less of the mechanics of its execution. Read full review
50
New York PostFarran Smith NehmeMar 6, 2014
It’s a slickly plotted ticking-time-bomb thriller with a crisp look and one standout debut performance, by Hitham Omari as a ruthless leader of a terrorist cell. Read full review
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