Concerning Violence
Kino Lorber | Release Date: December 5, 2014 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
80
METASCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 12 Critic Reviews
Positive:
11
Mixed:
0
Negative:
1
Watch Now
Buy on
Stream On
Stream On

Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
100
Village VoiceAlan ScherstuhlDec 2, 2014
A commanding indictment of the exploitative nature of geopolitics, and of Europe's and the U.S.'s abuse of native peoples around the world. Read full review
100
CineVuePatrick GambleNov 22, 2014
An exercise in assigning valuable historical context to scenes of brutality, Concerning Violence is a lesson in understanding a continuing colonial condition, the roots and complexities of which are often concealed and simplified by news coverage of poverty and conflict. Read full review
91
The A.V. ClubKeith UhlichDec 3, 2014
In other words, Concerning Violence isn’t out to soothe its audience with platitudes about peace, love, and understanding. Its exploration of an entrenched system that breeds generations of oppression and violence is extremely upsetting yet still highly rewarding. Read full review
91
The PlaylistKevin JagernauthNov 22, 2014
Not only a searing look at Europe's painful involvement in participating, encouraging and backing regimes of oppression, Concerning Violence makes it clear that not much has changed in the fifty years since Fanon's powerful words were first printed. Read full review
80
VarietyPeter DebrugeDec 18, 2014
Though Fanon’s words serve to justify the seemingly unconscionable — violence — the film ends with a very different call to action, one that stresses the need for “new concepts,” as if trying to calm the blood the film has brought to a boil over the dense and daunting 80-odd minutes that have come before. Read full review
80
EmpireDavid ParkinsonNov 24, 2014
A powerful and provoking take on a violent and volatile era. Read full review
80
Time OutJoshua RothkopfNov 22, 2014
Olsson requires us to connect the dots to today's struggles (a missed opportunity), but his discoveries are more than sufficient. Read full review
80
The Hollywood ReporterBoyd van HoeijNov 22, 2014
It's a tough and cerebral but finally illuminating film. Read full review
75
Slant MagazineKenji FujishimaDec 1, 2014
Here is a film that isn't afraid to risk didacticism in order to put across its vision of the debilitating physical and psychological effects of colonialism. Read full review
70
The DissolveNoel MurrayDec 9, 2014
While Fanon wrote with intense anger, he made his case more on an intellectual level than an emotional one, seeking to use his enemies’ words and logic against them. Olsson prefers to swing wildly. Read full review
70
The New York TimesNicolas RapoldDec 4, 2014
The energy here feels more like that of a lecture than of a film; it’s an analytical tonic that’s potent to the point of bitter. Read full review
38
RogerEbert.comGodfrey CheshireDec 5, 2014
On both levels of the film, the archival and the textual, there’s much that’s fascinating and worthwhile. What’s regrettable is the refusal to contextualize and explore the ongoing ramifications of what we see and hear. Read full review
More From This Movie

80 Critic Reviews

tbd User Reviews

Details & Credits|Trailers

Current Movie Releases
By MetascoreBy User Score
1 81 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple
2 77 Project Hail Mary
3 75 Send Help
4 73 Hoppers
5 72 The Sheep Detectives
SEE ALL
Essential Links
New on Amazon Prime Video
New on Netflix
Coming Soon to DVD/Blu-ray
SEE ALL