King of Thieves
StudioCanal | Release Date: January 25, 2019 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
48
METASCORE
Mixed or average reviews based on 17 Critic Reviews
Positive:
3
Mixed:
13
Negative:
1
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
60
EmpireNick de SemlyenSep 17, 2018
An old-school film about an old-school crime that brings together an impressive array of British legends. Solid, but sadly the results don’t exactly blow the bloody doors off. Read full review
67
Entertainment WeeklyLeah GreenblattJan 30, 2019
Thieves feels oddly joyless — a mostly rote perp walk through the mechanics of unarmed robbery, sprinkled with occasional slapped-on signifiers of fun (wild camera angles, snazzy soundtrack, smash-cut flashbacks to Swinging London). Read full review
60
Los Angeles TimesGary GoldsteinJan 24, 2019
If only this post-heist section had more tension, suspense and surprise, “King” could have been a real contender. Read full review
75
Movie NationRoger MooreMar 29, 2022
This high-mileage/hard-mileage cast crackles and sells the conceit, that aged Brits — whom no one would suspect because Britain’s native-born criminal element long ago lost its initiative and its edge to “Albanians” and foreign imports — could pull this off. Read full review
50
New York Magazine (Vulture)Bilge EbiriJan 23, 2019
The primary pleasure of James Marsh’s understated heist film is the opportunity to watch these icons go from mild-mannered pensioners to snarling, backstabbing hoods. That’s one of its shortcomings, too: We want more, and the picture never quite gives it to us. Read full review
75
ObserverRex ReedJan 29, 2019
British character actors are the best in the world, and King of Thieves provides a perfect example of why. Like the distaff side of today’s British royalty that includes Judi Dench, Maggie Smith, Joan Plowright and Eileen Atkins, it’s a marvel to watch Caine, Courtenay, Broadbent and Gambon go at each other with an aplomb that dazzles. Read full review
50
RogerEbert.comOdie HendersonJan 25, 2019
The result invites confusion and ultimately indifference on the viewer’s part. When one character makes a joking reference to Alec Guinness’ brilliant Ealing comedy “The Lavender Hill Mob” the comparison does this film no favors. Read full review
25
The A.V. ClubKatie RifeJan 23, 2019
Unlike "Gotti," King Of Thieves doesn’t have one iconic actor burning through decades’ worth of goodwill. It has six. Read full review
58
The Film StageJared MobarakJan 24, 2019
Ignorance to technology is a running theme throughout both to earn easy laughs due to the ageist nature of the joke and intrigue as far as which man — if any — is in control. That probably won’t be enough to get some audiences on board what is a pretty straightforward genre film, but it’s enough to provide its own spin. Between that and the sheer joy of seeing these actors comment on their careers through these characters, a good time should be had. Read full review
40
The GuardianPeter BradshawJan 24, 2019
The job itself is bafflingly dull. Read full review
50
The Hollywood ReporterStephen DaltonSep 30, 2018
This prosaically competent comedy-thriller turns a rich true story into a tonally uneven blend of lukewarm laughs and low-level suspense. Read full review
50
The New York TimesJeannette CatsoulisJan 24, 2019
For all its flaws — and they are legion — King of Thieves wraps you in a fuzzy blanket of familiarity. Read full review
40
The Observer (UK)Simran HansJan 24, 2019
There are a few rascally moments, such as Jim Broadbent settingoff roman candles in his back garden, but mostly it’s a staid affair, laden with dragged-outscenes of the gang doing thejob. Read full review
50
The PlaylistKimber MyersJan 24, 2019
Where King of Thieves fails its heralded cast is in its shifts in tone. We’ve been promised a fun ride with Caine in the driver’s seat, but the trip goes downhill too quickly. Read full review
60
The TelegraphTim RobeyJan 24, 2019
In its best moments, which tend to involve Gambon lurking at the back with a seedy grimace, or Broadbent looming almost motheringly over a rival’s shoulder, the film’s writing and acting have the grubby energy of good Pinter. In its worst though, it’s business-like and, for all the vivid performances, oddly bland. Read full review
55
TheWrapMonica CastilloJan 25, 2019
Despite the film’s few imperfections, it’s still enjoyable to watch the cast of older actors refuse to age out of a young man’s genre. Read full review
50
VarietyGuy LodgeJan 24, 2019
As the film slackens its pace and shifts awkwardly from caper mode to sober moral deliberations, its one-note characters can’t quite carry it. Read full review
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