Honest Thief
Open Road Films | Release Date: October 16, 2020 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
46
METASCORE
Mixed or average reviews based on 21 Critic Reviews
Positive:
2
Mixed:
15
Negative:
4
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
65
TheWrapAlonso DuraldeOct 13, 2020
As “solidly senior Liam Neeson kicks ass” vehicles go, Honest Thief falls firmly in the middle, nowhere near the heights of “Taken” but well above the depths of “Taken 3.” Read full review
63
Washington PostMichael O'SullivanOct 14, 2020
A little bit itchy, maybe, and smelling of mothballs, but deeply, inexplicably comforting, in these uncertain times. Read full review
60
The GuardianEllen E JonesOct 28, 2020
This film’s real propulsive, emotional motor is nothing to do with a woman, but rather the age-old entanglement of lawman and outlaw. Read full review
60
EmpireIan FreerOct 23, 2020
The second half falls into familiar action tropes, but Honest Thief has some twists and turns, sly humour and a refreshing feel for its characters that raises them beyond genre types. Read full review
60
New York Magazine (Vulture)Bilge EbiriOct 16, 2020
It’s a subdued, at times even intimate, old-guy action flick. And that streamlined, bare-bones quality serves the film well. Mostly. Read full review
60
The Hollywood ReporterFrank ScheckOct 13, 2020
Much like its central character, the film at least proves honest in its intentions. Read full review
58
The A.V. ClubKatie RifeOct 14, 2020
Not exactly a thinking man’s action movie, and not a gleefully dopey thrill ride either, Honest Thief is as grudging as its main character when it comes to doling out thrills. Read full review
50
RogerEbert.comChristy LemireOct 16, 2020
Perfectly serviceable and utterly forgettable, Honest Thief nonetheless offers a few pleasing details to keep it from being a total slog. Read full review
50
San Francisco ChronicleMick LaSalleOct 14, 2020
Still, if you love this kind of movie, you will at least like Honest Thief. Read full review
50
Boston GlobeTy BurrOct 14, 2020
It’s perfectly generic on-demand product that will eat up an hour and a half of your life and be immediately forgotten. Read full review
50
Chicago TribuneMichael PhillipsOct 13, 2020
It’s a movie about a movie star taking out the trash, leaving behind a lower body count than usual, but executing his duties faithfully, and with a predictable dash — the right kind of predictable — of world-weary charisma. Read full review
50
VarietyOwen GleibermanOct 13, 2020
It’s a serviceably energized and routine action crime movie, with a few slammin’ fistfights and gun battles, and it proves once again that Liam Neeson is an actor who will take a paycheck gig without treating it like one. Read full review
45
CNNBrian LowryOct 16, 2020
By the standards of Liam Neeson thrillers (and there are a lot from which to choose), Honest Thief is pretty weak tea, a passable, low-octane action movie that doesn't do much more than steal one's time. Like second-tier John Wayne westerns, Neeson offers enough of what his fans want, but a thin script and stilted dialogue make the battle harder than usual. Read full review
40
The Observer (UK)Simran HansOct 28, 2020
With Neeson well within the confines of his comfort zone, tailed by corrupt cops and diving out of hotel windows, the film should be better. Yet it drags. Read full review
40
Los Angeles TimesMichael OrdoñaOct 16, 2020
It’s one of those pseudo-thrillers with car chases and shootouts in which it’s hard to invest yourself because its rules seem fungible. Read full review
40
The New York TimesTeo BugbeeOct 15, 2020
It’s an inoffensive movie, full of such familiar tropes, it hardly matters if you can keep your eyes open to the end. Read full review
40
Rolling StoneDavid FearOct 15, 2020
Unlike his previous action films and pulpy crime flicks, there’s neither enough grade-A live-wire dynamism nor giddy, guilty-pleasure cheesiness (seriously, have you seen Non-Stop?!) to make this movie actually move. It’s a safecracker-versus-corrupt-feds thriller that’s just north of somnambulistic. Read full review
38
ReelViewsJames BerardinelliOct 19, 2020
The screenplay is so incredibly dumb that it’s never possible to suspend one’s disbelief sufficiently for the movie’s high points to offer more than a fleeting moment’s satisfaction. Read full review
38
Movie NationRoger MooreOct 19, 2020
The only twists to this — little character quirks and the like — are just dopey and off-topic, the stuff to make an action fan wonder “What’s up with that?” Read full review
25
Slant MagazinePat BrownOct 13, 2020
The repetitious plot is more ritual than text as we watch yet another Liam Neeson avenger defy the will of younger, unscrupulous men. Read full review
0
The Associated PressMark KennedyOct 13, 2020
Honest Thief, co-written and directed by Mark Williams, is a predictable and slack affair, relying on eerie music, dark sets and smoke to create tension. There is no particular set of skills here. Read full review
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