Small Town Crime
Saban Films | Release Date: January 19, 2018 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
68
METASCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 12 Critic Reviews
Positive:
10
Mixed:
2
Negative:
0
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
83
ConsequenceMarten CarlsonNov 13, 2017
The film’s success rides on the shoulders of Hawkes, and for the most part, it works. Read full review
80
VarietyJoe LeydonNov 13, 2017
Written and directed by sibling filmmakers Ian and Eshom Nelms with equal measures of respect and skepticism for pulp conventions, the movie comes across as neither pastiche nor parody, but rather as a seriously down-and-dirty crime story with a savage sense of humor. Read full review
78
Austin ChronicleRichard WhittakerJan 17, 2018
Small Town Crime is so engrossing in its optimistic darkness that it screams for the further pulpy adventures of Mike Kendall. Hawkes imbues him with the beat-down appeal of a Sam Spade or a Jim Rockford. Read full review
75
San Francisco ChronicleG. Allen JohnsonJan 17, 2018
Buoyed by an appealing lead performance by John Hawkes, Small Town Crime is a smart, sharply written detective story that, though not without humor, plays it straight and tough. Read full review
75
The A.V. ClubKatie RifeJan 17, 2018
An amiable crime dramedy from a more under-the-radar pair of filmmaking brothers, Ian and Eshom Nelms. Read full review
70
Los Angeles TimesMichael RechtshaffenJan 18, 2018
Engagingly anchored by character actor John Hawkes, Small Town Crime is a satisfyingly quirky serving of frisky pulp fiction. Read full review
70
The New York TimesManohla DargisJan 17, 2018
The Nelmses don’t make enough of their more intriguing ideas (Mike’s familial history) and end up right where you expect they would, bang bang. But Mr. Hawkes keeps you tethered, whether he’s navigating the movie’s uneven tones or peeling down one of cinema’s lonely highways in a muscle car so lovingly shot it deserves a co-star credit. Read full review
70
The Hollywood ReporterJohn DeForeNov 13, 2017
Starring John Hawkes as a booze-addicted former cop who stumbles across a mystery he can't stand to leave unsolved, the scuzzy-looking pic is a boon to the actor's fans. Read full review
69
Paste MagazineAndrew CrumpJan 25, 2018
Small Town Crime doesn’t give us much to hang onto apart from its casting, and from its experiential beer-stained, cigarette-tainted atmosphere. Read full review
63
RogerEbert.comGlenn KennyJan 19, 2018
I wish it had been a lot more fun, frankly. The movie’s tone never quite gels; it’s too outlandish and cartoony to convince, but not so outlandish and cartoony that it takes off into a realm of over-the-top exhilaration. Read full review
50
Village VoiceApril WolfeJan 18, 2018
Every town possesses a history, culture, lineage and language all unto its own, but in the Nelms’s hands, we see none of that. Here’s a half-boiled mystery and boring bad guys, but the film does have a saving grace: Hawkes’s comic timing. Read full review
50
Movie NationRoger MooreDec 18, 2017
It doesn’t transcend its genre, it wallows in it. Sometimes, that’s almost enough. Read full review
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