Puncture
Millennium Entertainment | Release Date: September 23, 2011 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
54
METASCORE
Mixed or average reviews based on 17 Critic Reviews
Positive:
7
Mixed:
9
Negative:
1
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
75
San Francisco ChronicleAmy BiancolliOct 6, 2011
If the movie ends too abruptly, it still gives plenty of screen time to its nicely screwed-up central character. And it's still a solid, assured feature debut from the latest brothers to watch. Read full review
75
Chicago Sun-TimesRoger EbertOct 5, 2011
It's unfair to complain that Weiss seems over the top. The portrayal seems to be accurate. Read full review
75
Entertainment WeeklyOwen GleibermanSep 24, 2011
Out from behind his Captain America shield, Chris Evans proves a quirky and compelling actor as Mike Weiss, a personal-injury lawyer who spends most of his time doing drugs. Read full review
70
Chicago ReaderAndrea GronvallOct 6, 2011
This lacks the heft of "The Insider" (1999) or the snap of "Erin Brockovich" (2000), but it's a thoughtful entry in the growing subgenre of whistle-blower dramas. Read full review
70
Los Angeles TimesRobert AbeleSep 22, 2011
The picture benefits from its performances, notably Evans' roguish appeal as a guy simultaneously driven and destructive. Read full review
70
The Hollywood ReporterKirk HoneycuttSep 17, 2011
The film is chock-a-block with extraordinary performances and no one will fault the filmmaking either. This is a well-made movie, make no mistake. It just suffers from a dysfunctional hero. Read full review
63
New York PostLou LumenickSep 23, 2011
While the Kassen brothers do an impressive job for newcomers -- the film looks great and performances are uniformly solid -- there's some overly blunt dialogue and dead-end subplots that would have been pruned by more experienced filmmakers. Read full review
60
Time OutDavid FearSep 20, 2011
It's Weiss's sheer gonzo energy and his determination to keep it together (barely) in the name of justice that initially fuel this underdog tale, giving it a far more manic, unpredictable edge than your usual courtroom handwringer. Read full review
58
The A.V. ClubTasha RobinsonSep 21, 2011
Puncture excels in the smaller touches, from Shaw's quiet performance to the woozy, unrushed motel idylls where the hard-driving Weiss finally slows down for a few breaths. Read full review
50
Boston GlobeEthan GilsdorfOct 27, 2011
This story of how corporate interests collude against the common good is surely worthy. But you might ask if the facts of the case might have made a better documentary, not a drama. Read full review
50
ObserverRex ReedSep 21, 2011
Like any good cautionary tale, Puncture tells a suspenseful story responsibly, creating food for thought and leaving the audience both enlightened and entertained. Read full review
50
Village VoiceNick PinkertonSep 20, 2011
Puncture is proudly "Based on a True Story." As is so often the case, this means an indifference to "true" human relationships in favor of crusading self-righteousness. Read full review
50
Slant MagazineSimon AbramsSep 18, 2011
Puncture's story only moves forward thanks to Evans's charm. But a good lead performance can't single-handedly save thin material. Read full review
50
VarietyRonnie ScheibSep 17, 2011
Though conceptually intriguing, the mix of downward drug spiral with uphill struggle for good never really coalesces. Read full review
40
The New York TimesJeannette CatsoulisSep 22, 2011
Notable at least in part for its fumbled potential, this health-care-industry melodrama possesses all the right ingredients: an idealistic young lawyer, a corrupt corporate villain and a sympathetic victim. It just fails to assemble them into a compelling whole. Read full review
40
Boxoffice MagazineVadim RizovSep 22, 2011
Puncture is rarely more convincing than the usual legal saga. Read full review
38
Washington PostMichael O'SullivanOct 20, 2011
When all is said and done, Mike proves to be not only peripheral to the main thrust of the movie, but a drag on its momentum. Read full review
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