Land of Mine
Sony Pictures Classics | Release Date: December 9, 2016 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
75
METASCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 26 Critic Reviews
Positive:
22
Mixed:
4
Negative:
0
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
100
Washington PostAnn HornadayMar 2, 2017
Both grimly naturalistic and infused with classical values at their most thoughtfully composed, Land of Mine is epic but deeply intimate; elegant but tough. Read full review
100
ObserverRex ReedFeb 21, 2017
It’s a harrowing, sensitively realized study of cruelty, revenge and post-war retribution that ranks high among films about the cost of war and its continuing damage to humanity. Read full review
92
TheWrapClaudia PuigFeb 10, 2017
Land of Mine is a powerful epic, superbly acted, tense and unsettling, but also poignant and occasionally tender. Read full review
89
Austin ChronicleMarc SavlovMar 15, 2017
The masterful Land of Mine slowly, almost without notice, transforms into one of the most viscerally intense anti-war films since Dalton Trumbo’s "Johnny Got His Gun." Read full review
88
The Seattle TimesJohn HartlMar 23, 2017
Zandvliet is a relatively young and inexperienced director, but his spare use of music and widescreen images is assured and even inspired. Read full review
83
Christian Science MonitorPeter RainerJan 11, 2017
It’s clear from the way writer-director Martin Zandvliet sets up the story that the fiery Rasmussen, who denies the boys adequate rations and pens them indoors at night, will eventually soften. It’s to the film’s credit that he does so in ways that are eminently believable. Read full review
83
HitfixGregory EllwoodSep 24, 2016
The characters are so well drawn (and the relatively young cast steps up to the plate) that combined with the material’s natural tension you’ll find yourself riveted to the proceedings. Read full review
80
CineVueLucy PopescuAug 3, 2017
Land of Mine serves as a poignant reminder that revenge destroys more than it satisfies and that compassion aids the healing process. Read full review
80
New Orleans Times-PicayuneMike ScottApr 6, 2017
So, yes, Land of Mine is a World War II movie -- but it's not likely a World War II movie you've seen before. Read full review
80
Arizona RepublicBarbara VanDenburghMar 9, 2017
This isn’t a war movie; it’s an after-the-war movie. But the battle lines are still drawn, and every ragged breath the film takes braces for an explosion. Read full review
80
Wall Street JournalJoe MorgensternFeb 9, 2017
An act of expiation, Land of Mine is honorable, harrowing and stirring. Read full review
80
The New YorkerAnthony LaneFeb 6, 2017
Again and again, its stark and suspenseful compositions strike the eye — figures in dark clothing, prone on a pale beach, with lines of wire, black warning flags, and the chill gray waves beyond. Read full review
80
Los Angeles TimesKenneth TuranDec 8, 2016
Crisply and efficiently put together by writer-director Zandvliet, Land of Mine has the inherent edge-of-your-seat concern about what kind of damage the bombs will inflict on which of these boys, but it is the psychological qualities of the situation that hold the greatest interest. Read full review
80
The Hollywood ReporterStephen FarberSep 24, 2016
The film works as a moving anti-war essay and as a gripping thriller. Read full review
80
VarietyDennis HarveySep 24, 2016
Zandvliet’s script and direction avoid milking an innately loaded situation for excess melodrama or pathos, sticking to a discreet economy of approach that accumulates considerable power. Read full review
75
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)Brad WheelerFeb 16, 2017
Writer-director Zandvliet has crafted a handsome, affecting and questioning film about post-war revenge and forgiveness. On a tough field to navigate, he makes it to the other side, commendably. Read full review
75
RogerEbert.comGodfrey CheshireFeb 10, 2017
The German boys are very well cast, with young actors Louis Hofmann and Joel Basman especially giving the kind of striking performances that should lead to other films. Read full review
75
The A.V. ClubA.A. Dowd Feb 8, 2017
The cheesiest thing about it is the punny English-language title with which it’s been saddled. Otherwise, Land Of Mine is tough and admirably grim, turning a harrowing history lesson into a study in how the battles of wartime don’t always cease with the ceasefire. Read full review
70
The New York TimesA.O. ScottFeb 9, 2017
Mr. Zandvliet is less interested in the stark battle between good and evil than in the shifting ground of power and responsibility, and the way that every person carries the potential for decency and depravity. Read full review
70
Screen DailyDavid D'ArcySep 24, 2016
Despite the sense of fatalism and some clumsy turns in Zandvliet’s script, Land Of Mine achieves moments of chilling suspense. Read full review
63
Movie NationRoger MooreMar 24, 2017
The humanity of the performances and pathos of the tale shine through the tropes and cliches to make this smart movie with the dumb-pun for a title a worthy enterprise and well worth your time. Read full review
63
Boston GlobePeter KeoughMar 2, 2017
One appreciates the desire of the filmmaker to let the audience fill in the back story, but Rasmussen’s behavior reflects badly on the Danish and heightens sympathy for the POWs. Read full review
60
EmpireDavid ParkinsonAug 7, 2017
A fascinating topic is attenuated by conservative storytelling and sketchy characterisation. Nevertheless, the sense of place is as assured as the vigilant performances, while the defusing sequences are genuinely suspenseful. Read full review
60
Village VoiceAlan ScherstuhlFeb 7, 2017
The film is sometimes too sentimental, too predictable in its drift, but electric in individual moments. Read full review
50
Slant MagazineChristopher GrayFeb 13, 2017
Land of Mine's fitful jolts of suspense can't compensate for the story's wholly familiar trajectory. Read full review
50
Entertainment WeeklyJoe McGovernFeb 10, 2017
Land of Mine is essentially bomb porn. Read full review
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