Black Souls
Vitagraph Films | Release Date: April 10, 2015 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
76
METASCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 18 Critic Reviews
Positive:
15
Mixed:
3
Negative:
0
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
100
Philadelphia InquirerTirdad DerakhshaniApr 17, 2015
A somber piece of film poetry about men so invested in a rigid notion of honor and revenge they become trapped in an endless loop of violence. Read full review
90
Los Angeles TimesKenneth TuranApr 23, 2015
Once the stage is set and the more intense plot elements of Black Souls kick in, the film's emphasis on character and setting pays off, just as the muted nature of the storytelling adds to its considerable power. Read full review
90
Village VoiceSimon AbramsApr 7, 2015
The makers of Black Souls, a superior Italian gangster movie, deserve praise for executing with atypical sensitivity a generic times-are-changing/nostalgia-for-an-imaginary-chivalrous-yesteryear scenario. Read full review
88
Washington PostMichael O'SullivanApr 16, 2015
Black Souls has a deep and startling soulfulness that, despite its shocking conclusion, is profoundly moving. Read full review
83
The PlaylistOktay Ege KozakApr 8, 2015
Black Souls is a solid example of the recent string of Italian mob dramas that utilize a somber and reflective tone as opposed to the more flashy and stylized approach of American crime epics. Read full review
80
Time Out LondonTom HuddlestonOct 27, 2015
It’s a dour, at times glacial film that perhaps takes itself just a little too seriously, but it’s also grimly convincing and, in a remarkable final scene, shockingly effective. Read full review
80
EmpirePatrick PetersOct 26, 2015
The tone is pseudo-Sopranos at times, but the oppressive ambience is grippingly sustained. Read full review
80
TheWrapJames RocchiMay 1, 2015
By taking the mob film back to its basics of land, family and death, Munzi’s film strips away artifice, cliche and gun-in-fist glamor to make a story of family and fury that burns cold and slow. Read full review
80
New York Magazine (Vulture)Bilge EbiriApr 13, 2015
It may not quite have the explosive charm of some of the classics, but Black Souls is an elegant, unsettling addition to the gangster-movie canon. Get on its unique wavelength, and you may find it transfixing. Read full review
80
The TelegraphRobbie CollinApr 7, 2015
That strange, conflicted tone of "operatic realism" that the critic and essayist Phillip Lopate found in the films of Luchino Visconti also runs through the core of Munzi’s film: there’s an almost theatrical grandeur to the plot, which was adapted from a novel by Gioacchino Criaco, but moment-to-moment it zings with realism. Read full review
80
VarietyJay WeissbergApr 7, 2015
Munzi focuses on incongruous leftovers from a benighted past, where kinship and blood feuds in a marginalized corner of rural Italy fester until entire communities are drawn into a whirlpool of intimidation and violence. This is the film’s strong suit. Read full review
75
Boston GlobePeter KeoughMay 21, 2015
Related with stolid majesty, with long shots of brooding landscapes and close-ups of opaque faces, the film provides poor preparation for the subversion of genre conventions to follow. Read full review
75
RogerEbert.comBrian TallericoApr 10, 2015
Black Souls isn’t quite the great film the international cinema buzz machine has touted it to be in some circles, but it is a very good one, the kind that ends with such gravity that you feel its weight for a while after. Read full review
75
The A.V. ClubAdam NaymanApr 9, 2015
For long stretches, it doesn’t appear to be a genre movie at all, which unfortunately means that certain tropes stick out more conspicuously when they do arrive — a minor flaw that only slightly detracts from the overall quality of the production. Read full review
70
The New York TimesStephen HoldenApr 9, 2015
Black Souls is an ominous, well-acted portrait of an ingrown feudal society of violence, retaliation and deadly machismo. Read full review
60
CineVueJohn BleasdaleApr 7, 2015
With its surprising narrative twists and handsome visuals, Black Souls ends up being a far more original take on the Italian organised crime drama than first thought. Read full review
50
The DissolveMike D'AngeloApr 7, 2015
The ensemble cast is strong, and the filmmaking supple, but the narrative never quite catches fire. Read full review
50
The Hollywood ReporterDeborah YoungApr 7, 2015
The story itself avoids the complicated structure of Matteo Garrone’s arty Gomorra, suggesting audiences will have an easier time digesting the tragedy of three brothers. But though it doesn't have Gomorra's comprehension problems, it also lacks that film's iconic cinematic imagery and seems ultimately far less memorable. Read full review
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