In the Land of Blood and Honey
FilmDistrict | Release Date: December 23, 2011 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
56
METASCORE
Mixed or average reviews based on 29 Critic Reviews
Positive:
18
Mixed:
7
Negative:
4
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
63
St. Louis Post-DispatchJoe WilliamsFeb 3, 2012
With its broad strokes, this invitation to an important discussion is hard to ignore, but the blood and honey on the table is an unpalatable mix. Read full review
63
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)Rick GroenJan 19, 2012
The bloody narrative has an oddly bloodless effect. But that's not surprising – not when a film is so eager to double as a lecture. Read full review
63
Washington PostAnn HornadayJan 12, 2012
If viewers are left feeling just as impotent as many of the characters, that may be precisely what Jolie intended for a film that asks nothing more of its audience than to bear witness. Read full review
70
Arizona RepublicBill GoodykoontzJan 12, 2012
Where In the Land of Blood and Honey falls short, then, is in the story itself. Too many coincidences and, ultimately, too narrow a focus. But it is a genuinely noble effort, a worthy attempt to make some sense of the inexplicable. Read full review
75
USA TodayClaudia PuigJan 5, 2012
Rather than a glossy, superficial movie-star vanity project, In the Land of Blood and Honey feels like the sober, hard-hitting work of a humanitarian. Read full review
75
Philadelphia InquirerSteven ReaJan 5, 2012
Represents a brave undertaking on Jolie's part. It's impressively steady filmmaking for a first-timer, and a powerful, powerfully disturbing subject to take on. Read full review
63
Chicago TribuneMichael PhillipsJan 5, 2012
If her movie cannot fully resolve the demands of the love story with the horrifying particulars of the context, she's smart and honest enough as a first-time filmmaker to make "Blood and Honey" off-limits for those who prefer easy viewing. Even with a subject such as this. Read full review
63
Chicago Sun-TimesRoger EbertJan 4, 2012
I found In the Land of Blood and Honey to be moving and involving, but somehow reduced by its melodrama to a minor key. The scale of the ages-old evil and religious hatred in the region seemed to make the fates of these particular characters a matter of dramatic convenience. Read full review
63
Rolling StonePeter TraversDec 29, 2011
At times, Jolie rises to the pulpit when she should stay on the ground. Her theme is too complex for her scattered screenplay to encompass. It's as a director that Jolie shines. Read full review
75
Christian Science MonitorPeter RainerDec 26, 2011
Danijel, who cares for Ajla while at the same time carrying out his mission of ethnic cleansing, is the least fully explored character in the movie, which leaves a big blur at its core. Still, this is an impressive piece of work that doesn't flinch from the atrocities that no doubt motivated Jolie to make the film in the first place. Read full review
80
SalonAndrew O'HehirDec 22, 2011
Kostic, a Bosnian actor who has done quite a bit of British film and TV, and the Sarajevo-born beauty Marjanovic make a combustible screen couple, and Jolie knows it. Despite the film's generally somber tone, there's more than a hint of "Night Porter"-style perversity to their relationship, which at different times is platonic, therapeutic and highly erotic. Read full review
70
The New York TimesManohla DargisDec 22, 2011
Both Ms. Marjanovic and Mr. Kostic are very fine (like the rest of the cast they deliver their dialogue in Bosnian) and they navigate the contradictions of their characters' feelings, the flashes of hate, the surrender to desire, with delicacy. Read full review
70
TimeMary PolsDec 22, 2011
All the components are there. No wonder In the Land of Blood and Honey is the most compelling, heartfelt movie Jolie has made in years. She isn't in it, but she's all over it. Read full review
70
MovielineAlison WillmoreDec 22, 2011
In the Land of Blood and Honey is gratifyingly short on lectures and, interestingly, on history lessons. Read full review
80
New York Daily NewsJoe NeumaierDec 22, 2011
It is how the film never loses sight of the closeness of the combatants, turning national intimacy into a tragic casualty. Read full review
80
Time OutJoshua RothkopfDec 20, 2011
Occasionally, the movie italicizes its points with heavy musical drones, but its tone is remarkably even and concentrated: It makes sense that Jolie excels at stewarding the scenes she usually tears apart onscreen: two people struggling in an emotional death grip, the camera up close. Read full review
83
IndieWireEric KohnDec 19, 2011
The most impressive thing about In the Land of Blood and Honey is that Jolie makes you feel it. Read full review
70
The Hollywood ReporterTodd McCarthyDec 18, 2011
Jolie deserves significant credit for creating such a powerfully oppressive atmosphere and staging the ghastly events so credibly, even if it is these very strengths that will make people not want to watch what's onscreen. Read full review
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