Ned Rifle
| Release Date: April 1, 2015 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
67
METASCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 16 Critic Reviews
Positive:
13
Mixed:
2
Negative:
1
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
91
IndieWireEric KohnSep 13, 2014
The poetic rhythm with which Hartley brings three movies of events to an end is a tight, gripping expression of closure. Read full review
90
Village VoiceZachary WigonMar 31, 2015
Hartley's humor and intellectual musings are, as always, fully present, but by anchoring them to a genuinely compelling story of familial retribution, he's made his best film in years. Read full review
83
Portland OregonianMarc MohanApr 10, 2015
It's a sad commentary on the independent film business when a proven filmmaker like Hartley has to go hat in hand to the Internet for his budget, but at least he got to make the movie on his terms. It turns out to be the best thing he's done since "Henry Fool." Read full review
80
CineVueBen NicholsonJan 24, 2015
Rife with the director's trademark stylistic preferences, this is a blast of an idiosyncratic comedy full of brilliant deadpan performances that offer a wickedly funny and poignant conclusion to the fable. Read full review
80
The Hollywood ReporterJordan MintzerSep 13, 2014
[Aubrey Plaza] adds something different to Hartley’s usual hijinks, making for a crime dramedy that’s ostensibly quirky, but also short, sweet and quite moving. Read full review
75
RogerEbert.comBrian TallericoApr 3, 2015
Ned Rifle, the final chapter in a strange trilogy with “Henry Fool” and “Fay Grim”, is a movie about damaged people coming to terms with their damage by turning to others. And it’s Hal Hartley’s best movie in years. Read full review
70
New York Magazine (Vulture)Bilge EbiriApr 6, 2015
It’s an interesting idea, and the deep pall of suspicion that hangs over some of Ned Rifle is occasionally compelling. But the movie doesn’t exactly go anywhere. Read full review
70
Los Angeles TimesBetsy SharkeyApr 2, 2015
When the writer-director is on his game, as he is in Ned Rifle, the effect is bizarre black comedy that is designed to set you thinking about what his satire is really saying. Read full review
70
The New York TimesBen KenigsbergMar 31, 2015
Even if this minor coda plays to an increasingly closed circle of admirers, it gives the trilogy a pleasing, moving symmetry. Read full review
70
VarietyDennis HarveySep 13, 2014
Though lacking the emotional depth and almost epic scope that made “Henry Fool” loom so large after Hartley’s anecdotal, idiosyncratic early features, Ned Rifle is a far more satisfactory extension of its memorable characters than the misbegotten “Fay Grim.” Read full review
67
The A.V. ClubMike D'AngeloApr 1, 2015
Consequently, anyone coming to Ned Rifle cold will be bewildered. But there are numerous pleasures for the initiated, from Ryan’s continuing dissolute mellifluence as Henry Fool to Simon’s rebirth as a terrible stand-up comic constantly monitoring the comments on his blog. Read full review
67
The PlaylistKevin JagernauthSep 14, 2014
The mileage will vary depending on how you've felt about the progression of the series so far, but if you're even mildly curious to find out what awaits the outrageous and exasperating Henry Fool, Ned Rifle is worth making some time for. Read full review
63
Boston GlobeTy BurrApr 9, 2015
The new film is a return to form after that sagging midsection, and the coterie of Hartley admirers still paying attention will find frustrations, rewards, a few darkly intelligent laughs, and an ending that unexpectedly haunts. Read full review
60
New York Daily NewsJoe NeumaierApr 2, 2015
Just when it seemed Hal Hartley was going to be forgotten, along comes the Long Island-based auteur’s terrific new feature. It’s a follow-up to his opus “Henry Fool.” Read full review
60
The DissolveScott TobiasMar 31, 2015
Ned Rifle feels closer to vintage Hartley than anything since 2001’s crazily underrated flop No Such Thing knocked him into semi-obscurity, but its dogged insularity stifles the modest pleasure of hearing the director’s distinct voice and watching his old favorites slip back into familiar roles. Read full review
35
TheWrapInkoo KangApr 2, 2015
The mystery is solidly structured, but the answers it gradually yields are silly at best and lazy and offensive at worst. Read full review
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