Black and Blue
Screen Gems | Release Date: October 25, 2019 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
54
METASCORE
Mixed or average reviews based on 23 Critic Reviews
Positive:
9
Mixed:
13
Negative:
1
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
80
Paste MagazineOktay Ege Kozak Oct 31, 2019
It’s a pulse-pounding, tightly wound thriller that sticks its predictable but nevertheless effective ending in order to provide a satisfying genre retread. Read full review
80
The New York TimesA.O. ScottOct 24, 2019
Its pulpy pop-cultural credibility is inseparable from its honest, brutal assessment of the state of the world. Its ideas about the nature and limits of heroism — about just how hard and terrifying the resistance to evil can be — are spelled out in vivid black and white. Read full review
75
Entertainment WeeklyLeah GreenblattOct 25, 2019
Harris, eyes blazing, brings a humanity and an urgency that serve the story maybe more than it deserves: a performance above and beyond the call of duty. Read full review
75
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)Anna SwansonOct 24, 2019
A one-two punch that marks a step forward in Taylor’s brand of stylish and heightened thriller films. Read full review
75
San Francisco ChronicleG. Allen JohnsonOct 23, 2019
Sure, Black and Blue is a minor film, but it’s irresistible. Read full review
63
RogerEbert.comChristy LemireOct 25, 2019
Black and Blue is a B-movie through and through — and that’s actually a compliment. Read full review
63
The Seattle TimesKatie WalshOct 24, 2019
Black and Blue is big and broad. There is no stone unturned, no symbol unexploited, and the emotional tenor is at 11. It’s melodrama for sure, and there’s absolutely no chance of interpreting Taylor’s film differently than the way he intended, for better or for worse. Read full review
63
Movie NationRoger MooreOct 22, 2019
I don’t want to overssell Black and Blue. It doesn’t transcend its genre. But it doesn’t waste our time, modulates its chase with alternating brisk and slow pacing, hand-held camera sprints interrupted by bursts of violence and stops, every so often, at a moral crossroad. Read full review
63
Slant MagazinePat BrownOct 19, 2019
The film's command of action defuses concerns about whether it offers a thorough social critique. Read full review
60
The GuardianBenjamin LeeNov 20, 2019
It’s a film with something to say but it’s not all that good at saying it. Read full review
60
The TelegraphTim RobeyOct 24, 2019
The cop thriller Black and Blue is just the ticket for Naomie Harris, if she wants to prove she can shoulder a suspenseful action flick by looking sharp, acting credibly nervy, and keeping us squarely on her side. Read full review
60
Screen DailyTim GriersonOct 22, 2019
Although less convincing when it tries to say something meaningful about racism and police brutality, Black And Blue has sufficient pulp pleasures and a winning confidence in executing its modest ambitions. Read full review
58
The A.V. ClubIgnatiy VishnevetskyOct 24, 2019
A generically competent but unsuspenseful chase film that never lives up to its potential for either social commentary or thrills. Read full review
50
Chicago Sun-TimesRichard RoeperOct 24, 2019
It’s hard to make a case for being a timely, provocative thriller when so many characters are regressive caricatures. Read full review
50
Washington PostMichael O'SullivanOct 24, 2019
The action is sufficiently gripping, even if the drama plays out along predictably violent lines. Read full review
50
Chicago TribuneTomris LaflyOct 24, 2019
Black and Blue feels imbalanced and overlong, favoring fast and repetitive chase scenes over well-calibrated tension. Read full review
50
VarietyTomris LafflySep 25, 2019
Black and Blue feels imbalanced and overlong, favoring fast and repetitive chase scenes over well-calibrated tension. Read full review
50
TheWrapCandice FrederickSep 24, 2019
Black and Blue is chock-full of heart-pounding car chases and suspenseful moments that are certain to entertain mainstream audiences, but the film falters when it attempts, beyond its tittle to reflect a necessary and under-discussed conversation about societal issues. Read full review
50
The Hollywood ReporterKeith UhlichSep 23, 2019
There's a tight, tense thriller in all this. Unfortunately, director Deon Taylor and screenwriter Peter A. Dowling stretch things out to a logy 104 minutes. Too often, the suspense dissipates between action scenes when it should be consistent and relentless, even in the quietest moments. Read full review
40
Time OutAlex GodfreyOct 22, 2019
The potentially interesting material is suffocated by a B-movie story and a C-grade script. Read full review
40
Rolling StonePeter TraversOct 22, 2019
Black and Blue, hyped by Geoff Zanelli’s pumping score, moves along without actually getting anywhere. Harris deserves better. So do audiences. Read full review
40
EmpireIan FreerOct 21, 2019
Not even the considerable talents of the ever watchable Naomie Harris can elevate Black And Blue above the broad and generic. The result is sadly aggressively formulaic. Read full review
30
Austin ChronicleMatthew MonagleOct 24, 2019
Black and Blue is almost incoherently edited, dumping out chase scenes where characters round corners and enter rooms with absolutely no sense of spacing or location. That, plus a predictable number of digital squibs, prevents the film from connecting as either art or entertainment. Read full review
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