Bronson
Magnet Releasing | Release Date: October 9, 2009 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
71
METASCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 22 Critic Reviews
Positive:
17
Mixed:
2
Negative:
3
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
100
SalonAndrew O'Hehir
Bronson owes a little or a lot to Kubrick's "Clockwork Orange," but if that's a crime I wish more people would commit it. Read full review
90
The New York TimesA.O. Scott
Bronson invites you to admire its protagonist as a pure, muscular embodiment of anarchy. And perhaps you will, but you may also be glad that he’s still behind bars. Read full review
90
Los Angeles TimesGary Goldstein
Whether it's Peterson/Bronson's more theatrical bits or his untamable character's many blood-spitting, knuckle-beating, explosions, Hardy chomps down on his once-in-a-career role with stunning ferocity and never lets go. He's extraordinary. Read full review
83
The A.V. ClubNoel Murray
There are two Bronsons on display here: the impossible thug that we don’t dare release into polite society, and the guy we enjoy watching do his terrible thing. The man and the movie are both living, punching contradictions. Read full review
80
Time OutJoshua Rothkopf
Refn has somehow found his way to an authentic English hard-man drama, anchored in a dynamite performance, even as it celebrates thug life. Read full review
80
NPRScott Tobias
He's neither victim nor hero, but a man who, in every conceivable sense, belongs behind bars. Read full review
80
Arizona RepublicBill Goodykoontz
This is unhinged genius, an amazing piece of acting. Brutal, yes, but magnetic all the same. Read full review
78
Austin ChronicleKimberley Jones
Refn’s artful and energetic film never goes further than face value. Read full review
75
Rolling StonePeter Travers
This movie and Hardy's electrifying performance will knock you for a loop. Read full review
75
New York PostV.A. Musetto
Tom Hardy gives an amazing performance as Peterson, who took on the nickname Charlie Bronson, after the "Death Wish" actor. Read full review
75
Philadelphia InquirerDavid Hiltbrand
The tone is surreal, at once visceral and clinical, making Bronson an unsettling experience: savage, disturbing, and yet somehow fascinating. Read full review
75
Chicago Sun-TimesRoger Ebert
It is 92 minutes of rage, acted by Tom Hardy. Read full review
75
Chicago TribuneMichael Phillips
Hardy is remarkable, however. This is an actor with a memorably expressive rasp of a voice, both blunt and musical. Read full review
75
Boston GlobeTy Burr
Bronson isn’t a story in the traditional sense at all. It’s a meditation on the art of rage - an action painting passing itself off as an action movie. Read full review
75
Portland OregonianShawn Levy
It's played with real zest and energy, and if you can stand the heat it gives off it may charm you despite yourself. Read full review
70
Chicago ReaderStaff (Not credited)
With an intelligent, provocative and stylized approach, Bronson (based on a true story) follows the metamorphosis of Mickey Peterson into Britain's most dangerous prisoner, Charles Bronson. Read full review
63
ReelViewsJames Berardinelli
It's lively and vivid but ends up leaving the viewer indifferent to the central character, his life, and his dubious place in British pop culture. Read full review
60
VarietyJohn Anderson
Too smart/arty for the slasher set, and too violent for high-brows, Bronson may have a tough time finding its niche, although it has "cult hit" written all over it. Read full review
50
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)Rick Groen
Bronson is one of those “based on a true story” dramatizations where the theatrically staged drama only gets in the way of the more interesting truth. Read full review
30
The Hollywood ReporterStephen Farber
Despite the artistic flourishes, this is still an utterly repellent look at a psychopath who does not deserve the attention of the filmmakers or the audience. Read full review
30
Village VoiceJ. Hoberman
Bronson is essentially a faux-operatic, music hall turn--a larky, lumpen version of "Lola Montès." Read full review
25
San Francisco ChronicleWalter Addiego
It's an assaultive work about an assaultive fellow. Read full review
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