Burning Sands
Netflix | Release Date (Streaming): March 10, 2017 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
63
METASCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 7 Critic Reviews
Positive:
5
Mixed:
2
Negative:
0
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
80
The GuardianBenjamin LeeMar 11, 2017
There’s no clumsy exposition here to explain motivations but delicately scattered crumbs involving status, family and the crippling strain of competitive masculinity. Read full review
75
RogerEbert.comMatt Zoller SeitzMar 10, 2017
Burning Sands, Gerald McMurray's feature filmmaking debut, is one of the fresher entries, thanks mainly to its setting: a historically black fraternity on a historically black campus like Howard, the university where the co-writer and director got his degree. Read full review
75
Entertainment WeeklyKevin P. SullivanMar 9, 2017
There isn’t much room for nuance in his script, and the movie’s darkness (literally: too many poorly lit nighttime scenes are more heard than seen) undermines its message. But there’s something powerful even in its predictability. Read full review
70
VarietyDennis HarveyFeb 23, 2017
The occasional heavy-handed or clumsy elements don’t seriously impair a film whose high spirits, talented cast and luridly intriguing subject consistently entertain, even if they seldom truly surprise. Read full review
67
IndieWireJude DryFeb 24, 2017
McMurray fixates too much on the brutality of his subject, foregoing any meaningful character development. The result is a film about punishment that is quite punishing to watch. Read full review
50
Los Angeles TimesMichael RechtshaffenMar 9, 2017
In the absence of a more dramatically dynamic approach to that awfully familiar subject matter, “Burning Sands” proves neither as incendiary nor as challenging as intended. Read full review
50
The Hollywood ReporterTodd McCarthyFeb 23, 2017
First-time director McMurray, who worked as an associate producer on Fruitvale Station, does a decent job of staging the action and maintaining viewer attention on the straight-line story. But there’s no subtext, investigation of his characters’ various stories or motivations for doing what they’re doing. It’s a very shallow film. Read full review
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