Blow the Man Down
Amazon Studios | Release Date (Streaming): March 20, 2020 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
72
METASCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 20 Critic Reviews
Positive:
18
Mixed:
2
Negative:
0
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
88
Boston GlobeTy BurrMar 18, 2020
The movie’s pretty great — not quite “Fargo” with lobsters but close enough, and about as good as regional filmmaking gets. Filmed in Harpswell, Maine and environs — the cobwork of Bailey Island Bridge curves through one scene — Blow the Man Down delves cleverly and suspensefully beneath the surface of a small, well-appointed fishing town in winter. There are bodies and there is blood. There are also a lot of quietly furious women. Read full review
83
IndieWireKate Erbland
The film is smartly assembled, making the most of a limited indie budget and building a compelling world to boot. Read full review
83
The PlaylistAlly Johnson
Inventive and original ... Juggling dark, situational comedy with genuine thrills is awkward, but “Blow the Man Down” manages to walk that tone well. Read full review
80
The Hollywood ReporterCaryn James
This atmospheric, expertly crafted little New England noir has droll dialogue, a female empowerment theme and a sly use of crime elements. Read full review
80
TheWrapSteve Pond
From “Body Heat” to “Fargo,” women have driven the action in noir films before — but the way this one plays out, with AARP-age women holding all the cards in a setting we usually associate with rugged men, feels like a genuinely fresh take on a time-honored genre. And the ending, all cagey glances and serene indifference hiding some seriously twisted stuff, is downright delicious. Read full review
75
LarsenOnFilmJosh LarsenMay 1, 2020
Blow the Man Down snagged me right away with its bold, stylized opening. Read full review
75
Movie NationRoger MooreMar 20, 2020
In movie fan shorthand? “Blood Simple” meets “Mystic Pizza.” Read full review
75
Chicago TribuneMichael PhillipsMar 20, 2020
It’s an efficient, well-acted thriller from the writing-directing team — relative newcomers to features — of Danielle Krudy and Bridget Savage Cole. Read full review
75
ReelViewsJames BerardinelliMar 20, 2020
Although there are some structural and pacing issues, the film as a whole works by doing David Lynch’s favorite trick: finding the rot underlying the seemingly placid exterior of small town America. Read full review
75
RogerEbert.comGlenn KennyMar 20, 2020
Blow the Man Down isn’t an earth-shaker, but it’s a small pleasure that makes you wish for more from its filmmakers, and soon. Read full review
75
San Francisco ChronicleMick LaSalleMar 18, 2020
Not a masterpiece that will change your life, but you’ve probably had your life changed enough lately. It’s 90 minutes of thoughtful, atmospheric, well-made entertainment, and that’s more than good enough. Read full review
75
Washington PostAnn HornadayMar 18, 2020
A clever slice of regional noir that carries a gale-force punch beneath its modest, soft-spoken trappings. Read full review
75
Slant MagazineChris BarsantiMar 18, 2020
Without Margo Martindale, the film would be a sharp and tightly constructed nautical noir. With her, it becomes a memorable one. Read full review
70
Screen RantSandy SchaeferMar 26, 2020
Armed with a truly feminine perspective, Blow the Man Down rises above being a Coen Brothers imitation to deliver a gripping and tightly-woven yarn. Read full review
70
Los Angeles TimesRobert AbeleMar 19, 2020
A briny Northeastern noir powered by women with secrets, Blow the Man Down is a pleasantly spiky slinging of small-town sin that should prove to be eminently companionable viewing for these sequestered, streamable times. Read full review
70
Screen DailyStephen Whitty
A refreshingly offbeat noir, one that spices its murder-mystery thrills with a good bit of feminist empowerment. Read full review
70
VarietyOwen Gleiberman
“Blow the Man Down” has a few contrivances ... Yet Morgan Saylor and Sophie Lowe invest the embattled but loyal Connolly sisters with a desperate resonance, and the movie is clever enough to hold you, even when you wish it had taken the extra step and gone full Patricia Highsmith. Read full review
67
Austin ChronicleRichard WhittakerMar 18, 2020
As small town crime stories go, Blow the Man Down is intriguingly low-key, but it's in the filmmakers' quietly bold decisions that it swells above most of its ilk. Read full review
60
Rolling StoneDavid FearMar 23, 2020
Everything goes to hell in a decorative handbasket. What starts out as a simple plan will be destined to become, well, "A Simple Plan" redux. Read full review
60
The New York TimesHelen T. VerongosMar 19, 2020
While the sisterhood in Easter Cove is indeed powerful, the secrets that bind its members prove to be fairly simple, and the result is intriguing enough to make you wonder what these writer-directors might accomplish if they applied their vision to a more expansive canvas. Read full review
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