Hours
Pantelion Films | Release Date: December 13, 2013 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
55
METASCORE
Mixed or average reviews based on 16 Critic Reviews
Positive:
8
Mixed:
5
Negative:
3
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
50
Chicago Sun-TimesRichard RoeperDec 12, 2013
One only wishes Walker had stronger, better developed material instead of a promising drama that eventually unravels and seems overlong even with a running time of 96 minutes. Read full review
50
Los Angeles TimesBetsy SharkeyDec 13, 2013
This drama, about an ordinary guy trying to keep his infant daughter alive in Hurricane Katrina's aftermath, is sincere but struggles as much as its hero. Read full review
38
McClatchy-Tribune News ServiceRoger MooreDec 4, 2013
Walker has few “big” scenes, no memorable dialogue and plays up the exhaustion, which tamps down the emotions of his performance. So even an action packed finale can’t rescue this dramatically thin exercise in one-man showmanship. Read full review
60
New York Daily NewsElizabeth WeitzmanDec 12, 2013
Most of the movie elicits tense empathy, which builds to a genuinely nerve-wracking sense of dread. Read full review
70
New York Magazine (Vulture)Bilge EbiriDec 19, 2013
The film’s brooding tension would probably work even without the recent tragedy of real-life events. But now, while uneven, the film is uniquely involving — right down to a final shot that will break your heart into a million pieces. Read full review
25
New York PostKyle SmithDec 12, 2013
The movie is essentially a theater piece in which Nolan (Walker) is mostly alone on screen, making use of what he finds a la John McClane, but without the smart pacing or inventiveness of “Die Hard.” Read full review
63
RogerEbert.comSusan WloszczynaDec 13, 2013
Heisserer doesn't get everything right, but he sure knows how to milk a taut ending, including a miraculous final shot, one that would have drawn tears even if Walker were still around. For those who wish to see the actor at his best, Hours is worth the time. Read full review
25
Slant MagazineTomas HachardDec 9, 2013
The film's fealty to history is both unnecessary and a hindrance, pulling us out of a story that could have easily been set in an anonymous city hit by a nondescript hurricane. Read full review
67
The A.V. ClubIgnatiy VishnevetskyDec 11, 2013
Though a screenwriter by profession, Heisserer proves to be more economical with style than storytelling. Like a few too many contemporary genre films, Hours suffers from flashbackitis, a chronic condition that leads filmmakers to believe that a tragic backstory will add gravitas. Read full review
50
The DissolveMike D'AngeloDec 11, 2013
From the evidence here, Walker’s forte may have been not action but stillness—a knack for embodying ordinary Joes without any fussiness. That we’ll never find out is truly a shame. Read full review
80
The New York TimesNeil GenzlingerDec 12, 2013
Mr. Walker is convincing as a man battling grief, exhaustion and, occasionally, an intruding outside world where lawlessness has taken hold. Read full review
75
The PlaylistDrew TaylorDec 12, 2013
Heisserer is able to keep the thrills coming while maintaining an emotional tether to the character and the situation. While occasionally the movie veers into the realm of implausible melodrama, it's a well-modulated affair and knows exactly when to pull itself back from the brink. Read full review
40
Time OutR. Kurt OsenlundDec 10, 2013
Though Walker, in his most demanding part, does his best to transcend his characteristically bro-ish demeanor, he’s ultimately failed by this film, whose script and questionable taste hardly add up to a eulogy-worthy goodbye. Read full review
80
VarietyJoe LeydonDec 16, 2013
An ingeniously simple setup is cunningly exploited for maximum suspense in Hours, a slow-building, consistently engrossing drama. Read full review
80
Village VoiceAlan ScherstuhlDec 10, 2013
The film stirs richer, truer feelings once it becomes a one-man show. This is due both to Heisserer's and Walker's skill — the tension is strong, the scenario elemental, and Walker's harried, urgent hero is compelling — but also the fact that the movies are really good at dudes doing things, especially when those things are scrappy, desperate, and heroic. Read full review
63
Washington PostMichael O'SullivanJan 23, 2014
Compared to the “Fast and Furious” films, Hours is a chamber piece, but Walker wrings real pathos out of his instrument. Read full review
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