Secret in Their Eyes
STX Entertainment | Release Date: November 20, 2015 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
45
METASCORE
Mixed or average reviews based on 28 Critic Reviews
Positive:
5
Mixed:
15
Negative:
8
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
88
Chicago Sun-TimesRichard RoeperNov 19, 2015
What DOESN’T get lost in translation is what made “El Secreto De Sus Ojos” so effective: the visceral, devastating empathy we feel when a horrible injustice is committed and it ruins multiple lives; the haunted looks in the eyes of a trio of characters who will never be able to shake off the events of long ago; the lush and lurid film noir touches; and the air of melancholy hanging heavy over a pursuit of justice because we know there’s no such thing as true justice, not in these circumstances. Read full review
75
Portland OregonianMarc MohanNov 19, 2015
At times the movie feels like two Very Special Episodes of "Law & Order: SVU" stitched together, but on balance it's a smart, well-cast piece of grown-up entertainment. Read full review
70
The Hollywood ReporterSheri LindenNov 19, 2015
It’s a solid genre outing with unsettling topical resonance. Read full review
70
VarietyJustin ChangNov 19, 2015
Roberts brings an acrid sense of bitterness and sorrow to this exceedingly sharp-witted sleuth, registering the cruel passage of time and the toll of unspeakable tragedy in every careworn feature and vocal quaver.... it’s a skillful and humane turn from an actress whose darkly penetrating gaze comes closest to fulfilling the mystery of the title. Read full review
67
Entertainment WeeklyLeah GreenblattNov 20, 2015
In Ray’s hands, it’s essentially a grim procedural with too many moments of untapped potential and a moderately shocking twist. Save his version for a rainy day or a long airplane ride; or better yet, go rent the original. Read full review
60
Arizona RepublicBill GoodykoontzNov 25, 2015
The story lacks the same intensity of the original. Not that everyone will have seen the first one. Those who have will almost certainly find the new version lacking. Those who haven’t will find a solid mystery, nothing more. Given the cast, that’s a letdown. Read full review
58
The A.V. ClubA.A. Dowd Nov 18, 2015
Yet nothing short of overhauling the material into something genuinely fresh could make Ray’s Secret feel essential. Tweaks aside, it remains, by in large, the same movie — which is to say, fundamentally redundant. Read full review
50
Philadelphia InquirerSteven ReaNov 19, 2015
Secret in Their Eyes is notable for its top-tier cast - Julia Roberts, Nicole Kidman, and Chiwetel Ejiofor are the leads - and for its utter lack of credulity and good sense. Read full review
50
Los Angeles TimesRobert AbeleNov 19, 2015
As screenwriter, Billy Ray's adapting the original's Argentina-centric trappings to a tense post-9/11 milieu is smart, but as director his style is hardly atmospheric. Read full review
50
Boston GlobeTom RussoNov 19, 2015
What’s ironic — and frustrating — is how precipitously the movie itself eventually goes tumbling down the intelligence scale. In the process, Chiwetel Ejiofor is wasted, along with some potent moments from costars Roberts and Nicole Kidman. Read full review
50
The PlaylistNick SchagerNov 19, 2015
It’s a promising premise fit for a thorny inquiry into personal and institutional priorities, and yet no sooner has Secret In Their Eyes laid its story’s groundwork than it goes off the rails Read full review
50
TheWrapAlonso DuraldeNov 19, 2015
“Secret” contains a passel of interesting ideas and effective scenes that don’t add up to an interesting whole. Read full review
50
Chicago TribuneMichael PhillipsNov 19, 2015
Writer-director Billy Ray's Americanized redux isn't a disaster, exactly; it keeps its head down and does its job. But nothing quite gels, or clicks, or makes itself at home in its adopted setting. Read full review
50
Austin ChronicleMarjorie BaumgartenNov 18, 2015
Julia Roberts is the only central character whose appearance is drastically different in the two time periods, and it remains to be seen if the pretty woman with the million-dollar smile will be accepted as a character bearing a pinched face and dead eyes or whether it will seem like stunt casting despite a solid performance. Read full review
50
Movie NationRoger MooreNov 18, 2015
Perhaps some of the same flaws lay beneath the surface of the original film, but the distraction of subtitles helped hide them. Here, they’re gaping holes knock “Secret” off the tracks long before it’s far-fetched twist ending. Read full review
40
EmpirePhil de SemlyenFeb 29, 2016
A humdrum remake of a crackerjack thriller, this never gets out of second gear despite a classy cast and intriguing premise. Credit to Dean Norris for playing a character called Bumpy with an entirely straight face. Read full review
40
Time Out LondonDave CalhounFeb 22, 2016
Writer-director Billy Ray (the writer of Captain Phillips and the first The Hunger Games) honours the Argentine original with keynote scenes set in a mirrored lift and a crowded sports stadium, but the mood is too often sluggish and pedestrian. Read full review
40
Time OutDave CalhounNov 24, 2015
While the original movie persuaded us that the military dictatorship in 1970s Argentina could inspire jaw-dropping behavior, its equivalent here feels extremely bogus. Read full review
40
The GuardianJordan HoffmanNov 19, 2015
Chiwetel Ejiofor, one of our top-tier film actors right now, is on good form throughout, and the others act their hearts out, too. But they are somewhat left out to dry in a production that feels more like syndicated television than a feature film. Read full review
40
Screen DailyTim GriersonNov 19, 2015
Alongside a sharp supporting cast that includes Dean Norris and Michael Kelly, Secret’s leads do what they can and never embarrass themselves. But the film’s so disposable, it vanishes right in front of your eyes. Read full review
38
New York PostLou LumenickNov 19, 2015
This version, flatly directed and risibly written by Billy Ray, is saddled with endless coincidences, questionably motivated characters and an utterly laughable climax. Read full review
38
Rolling StonePeter TraversNov 19, 2015
The Americanized version is miscast, misguided and misbegotten. Read full review
38
RogerEbert.comSusan WloszczynaNov 19, 2015
Although a surprising number of plot machinations from the original film remain fully intact, usually accounting for anything that seems remotely clever, what is missing is the type of hold-your-breath tension provided by good thrillers. Read full review
38
Slant MagazineEric HendersonNov 19, 2015
Billy Ray unfurls the parallel time structure with the same flat, procedural monotony applied by Juan José Campanella to the original film. Read full review
37
Washington PostStephanie MerryNov 19, 2015
As the movie wears on, the plot points become increasingly far-fetched, and what started out as a moody if by-the-book thriller becomes increasingly silly. All the while, Roberts gives her all. Read full review
30
The New York TimesStephen HoldenNov 19, 2015
Sad to say: There is far more crackle in an average episode of “Law & Order.” Read full review
25
ObserverRex ReedNov 27, 2015
The original was a thriller. This one is a yawn a minute. Read full review
25
Tampa Bay TimesSteve PersallNov 18, 2015
The central mystery has been drastically altered to fit Julia Roberts, its most telling clue diluted, and a signature sequence that made soccer exciting now makes baseball duller. Read full review
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