Ruben Brandt, Collector
Sony Pictures Classics | Release Date: February 15, 2019 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
75
METASCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 17 Critic Reviews
Positive:
13
Mixed:
4
Negative:
0
Watch Now
Buy on
Stream On
Stream On
Stream On
Expand

Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
100
The PlaylistCarlos AguilarMar 1, 2019
It merits being counted as one of the decade’s best and most wildly original animated triumphs and one of this awards season’s most unforgivable snubs. Read full review
91
The A.V. ClubApril WolfeFeb 13, 2019
What’s so grand about Ruben Brandt isn’t its story or the characters, which are both abstractions. It’s the animation—the detailed artwork, so dense that it warrants repeat viewings. Read full review
90
Screen DailyWendy IdeNov 15, 2018
This is a film which fizzes with originality, one which works both as a pacey thriller and a playfully surreal intellectual exercise. Read full review
90
VarietyAlissa SimonNov 15, 2018
While Krstić is especially good at providing noir atmosphere (jazzy, smoke-filled dives, ominous shadows, and references to Mike Hammer films), he positively excels at high-octane action. Read full review
90
Los Angeles TimesRobert AbeleNov 15, 2018
An acrobatic, larkish globetrotting adventure about paintings and psychotherapy that defies easy categorization save inclusion on any adult animation fan’s must-see list, its slinky, colorful pleasures and wittily referential joie de vivre are like a lifeline in a season when the art house is typically beholden to severe, award-seeking bids to depress you. Read full review
89
Austin ChronicleMarc SavlovMar 20, 2019
This astonishing animated feature from first-time Slovenian director Krstić is required viewing for art history majors and anyone else with even a glancing interest in the works of everyone from Warhol to Gauguin, Diego Velázquez to Joan Miró. Read full review
88
RogerEbert.comSheila O'MalleyFeb 16, 2019
One of the intense pleasures of Ruben Brandt, Collector (astonishingly, it is Krstić’s first feature) is how it suggests that theft (i.e. "collecting") is the only way to manage obsession. Read full review
80
Rolling StonePeter TraversFeb 12, 2019
Ruben Brandt, Collector is always a feast for the eyes, but it’s the intellectual curiosity on display that raises the bar. Read full review
80
The Hollywood ReporterBoyd van HoeijNov 15, 2018
Though not all the relationships are entirely clear — the thieves' relationship with Brandt, for example, remains somewhat vague — and there might be some minor issues that could become apparent on multiple viewings, this is first and foremost a rollicking and very imaginatively staged ride that’s enjoyable and different. Read full review
76
TheWrapWilliam BibbianiFeb 14, 2019
Ruben Brandt, Collector is a wonderful heist film, a thrilling action-adventure, a gorgeous visual feast, and an intriguing look at an artist whose greatest talent is recognizing the value of the art inside others. Read full review
75
Movie NationRoger MooreMar 7, 2019
It’s more clever than smart, but here’s an animated film for adults (violence, nudity) that challenges and rewards the viewer who — yes — paid attention in class, and whose bucket list includes MoMa, the Louvre, the Musée D’Orsay, the Reina Sofia and Prado, Met and Musée Rodin. Read full review
75
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)Kate TaylorMar 1, 2019
Ruben’s story may be as oddly illogical as any of his nightmares, but the animation here is a dreamy delight. Read full review
67
Entertainment WeeklyChris NashawatyFeb 16, 2019
It’s a triumph of style over substance. But what style! Read full review
60
The New York TimesA.O. ScottFeb 13, 2019
The movie is fun to look at without quite being exciting to watch. This is mostly because the story never fully lives up to the ideas, and the ideas themselves are fuzzy and scattered. Read full review
50
Chicago TribuneMichael PhillipsMar 7, 2019
A satisfying heist movie, animated or live-action, requires more selectivity and less clutter than this one. The movie dashes by door after door, but it lacks the key. Read full review
50
Washington PostAnn HornadayFeb 27, 2019
A wild, inventive ride through the unconscious, by way of Art History 101 and An Introduction to Film Tropes. The story of a famous psychoanalyst struggling with his Oedipal demons with the help of some hardened burglars isn’t a story at all, really, but a decidedly rickety scaffold on which Krstic can hang his images, an array of ecstatic references to the painters and directors who have inspired him. Read full review
50
Slant MagazineBen LambertFeb 10, 2019
The film doesn’t apply the necessary touch and precision to balance its sleek, chromed parts into a revving whole. Read full review
More From This Movie

75 Critic Reviews

8.0 User Reviews

Details & Credits|Trailers

Current Movie Releases
By MetascoreBy User Score
1 77 Project Hail Mary
2 75 Send Help
3 73 Hoppers
4 72 The Sheep Detectives
5 68 Crime 101
SEE ALL
Essential Links
New on Amazon Prime Video
New on Netflix
Coming Soon to DVD/Blu-ray
SEE ALL