Reindeer Games
Dimension Home Video | Release Date: February 25, 2000 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
37
METASCORE
Generally unfavorable reviews based on 33 Critic Reviews
Positive:
5
Mixed:
15
Negative:
13
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
75
San Francisco ChronicleMick LaSalle
One of the smartest action thrillers to come along in the past few years. It's also one of the freshest. Read full review
75
Miami HeraldRene Rodriguez
May not reinvent the wheel, but its expertly delivered thrills would hit the spot at any time of year. Read full review
75
Philadelphia InquirerDesmond Ryan
Some movie-goers will be more annoyed than surprised by the finale. Read full review
67
Seattle Post-IntelligencerWilliam Arnold
He's (Affleck) vaguely likable, but he's outshone by his co-stars and never particularly believable in his role. Read full review
63
Chicago TribuneMichael Wilmington
This new heist movie by the great thriller director John Frankenheimer flails around like its own dysfunctional gang of casino robbers. Read full review
60
Rolling StonePeter Travers
It bristles with the brute force he brought to 1986's underrated "52 Pick-Up."
60
L.A. WeeklyF. X. Feeney
A cleverly plotted, cleanly crafted matinee item -- pure entertainment on a romping continuum with Frankenheimer's "Ronin." Read full review
60
TV Guide MagazineMaitland McDonagh
The plot's preposterous and Affleck is way too callow for a role that would have fit Robert Mitchum like a second-hand suit. Read full review
50
Entertainment WeeklyOwen Gleiberman
Displays no ambition to be anything more than a synthetic sense-jolt conveyor of the week. Read full review
50
Dallas ObserverBill Gallo
In this beautifully devious, exceptionally well-made entertainment, Mr. John Frankenheimer does it all, and more, with the assurance of an old master. Read full review
50
San Francisco ExaminerWesley Morris
The best and worst of old school -- retro but stale. Frankenheimer, along with Ben Affleck, donates what cool there is. Read full review
50
Baltimore SunChris Kaltenbach
The out-of-control plot doesn't unfold gracefully or organically; it simply speeds along with no regard for anything other then getting to the next plot twist. Read full review
50
New York Daily NewsJack Mathews
The material here, written by Ehren Kruger, is beneath banal, and the three leads are so miscast that it's like watching a dress charade. Read full review
50
Film.comTom Keogh
Comes across as a deceptively streamlined comic-drama; an unnervingly violent, gritty film noir with a wink. Read full review
50
Boston GlobeJay Carr
The end is a long time coming in Reindeer Games and the dialogue is mostly slush. Read full review
44
Mr. ShowbizRichard T. Jameson
The picture, a would-be thriller, is a mechanical exercise from the get-go, one that positively defies suspension of disbelief with each succeeding twist of a plot no one would ever hatch in real life. Read full review
40
SlateDavid Edelstein
The picture is an empty parlor trick, but it's carried out with a master's concentration. Read full review
40
Los Angeles TimesKenneth Turan
Its twisty film noir world of down-on-their-luck men and unfathomable women is vintage B-picture material, but, in the grand B tradition, the games it plays are more ambitious than successful. Read full review
40
The New York TimesA.O. Scott
The movie is staged like a pit stop -- Reindeer Games goes from being fun to being laughable. Read full review
40
Village VoiceAmy Taubin
Punishing, visceral violence is the key element. Read full review
38
USA TodaySusan Wloszczyna
As late Christmas presents go, Reindeer Games is best left unwrapped. Read full review
38
Chicago Sun-TimesRoger Ebert
The first All Talking Killer picture. After the setup, it consists mostly of characters explaining their actions to one another. Read full review
30
VarietyTodd McCarthy
With a far-fetched script that might barely have passed muster at the B units in the old studio days, this Dimension release will command a certain up-front attention due to cast topliners. Read full review
30
Austin ChronicleMarc Savlov
By the time the closing credits roll, you're wondering if anyone else noticed that nothing made much sense. Read full review
30
Film.comGemma Files
About an hour after you've seen it, you'll already be fuzzy on just who was screwing who, and why Read full review
25
Charlotte ObserverLawrence Toppman
Affleck simply wasn't meant to play action heroes or tough guys. He's about as tough as tapioca pudding. Read full review
25
Christian Science MonitorDavid Sterritt
A director of Frankenheimer's stature deserves less sensationalistic material, and so does his audience. Read full review
25
New York PostLou Lumenick
Without any believable characters or situations, Reindeer Games is about as appealing as leftover Christmas fruitcake. Read full review
20
SalonCharles Taylor
Ben Affleck provides a charismatic star turn, but John Frankenheimer's out-of-season heist thriller is dead on arrival. Read full review
20
NewsweekAnn-Rebecca Laschever
The foreboding, dark camera-work is effective in setting the mood for this sinister, eye- popping, frequently ridiculous thriller. Read full review
20
Washington PostStephen Hunter
Here's a film that so merrily thumbs its nose at propriety in exchange for visceral thrills, and at probability in exchange for the really cool plot twist, that it checks in as the guiltiest pleasure since "The 13th Warrior." Read full review
20
Chicago ReaderJonathan Rosenbaum
I had a pretty good time with this until the end, when I felt so soiled by the filmmakers' cynicism and the characters' gratuitous viciousness that I wanted to take a bath. Read full review
8
Portland OregonianDiana Abu-Jaber
While you may like comedies and you make like thrillers, this film does neither of the above with any pizazz. Read full review
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