Son of a Gun
A24 | Release Date: January 23, 2015 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
49
METASCORE
Mixed or average reviews based on 20 Critic Reviews
Positive:
2
Mixed:
17
Negative:
1
Watch Now
Buy on
Stream On
Stream On
Stream On
Stream On
Stream On
Stream On
Stream On
Expand

Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
40
CineVueJohn BleasdaleJan 29, 2015
There are some dumb thrills to be had but there is also the sense here of an ambition not quite realised. Read full review
60
EmpireKim NewmanJan 26, 2015
Son Of A Gun has the gritty, rough feel of 1970s heist/hit picture Read full review
75
Entertainment WeeklyChris NashawatyJan 14, 2015
Son of a Gun becomes a somewhat predictable but excitingly twisty heist film involving a double-dealing Russian heavy, a desperate femme fatale, and a fortune in gold bars. It has just enough muscle and style to make the familiar feel fresh. Read full review
40
Los Angeles TimesGary GoldsteinJan 23, 2015
Although first-time feature writer-director Julius Avery may aspire to become a sort of Aussie Michael Mann — and perhaps lays an apt foundation here to do so — he has a ways to go in developing the kind of characters and world we can solidly invest in. Read full review
50
Movie NationRoger MooreJan 21, 2015
The milieu — coastal-industrial Australia — is interesting, with its stoner arms dealers and crazed thugs of every age. But what sells Son of a Gun is McGregor’s presence and performance, a guy using and mentoring a gullible but gutsy young man, trying to impart the wisdom of the wizened con to the kid. Read full review
40
New York Daily NewsElizabeth WeitzmanJan 21, 2015
Without Ewan McGregor in the lead, this flashy but aggressively superficial Aussie thriller would likely disappear without a trace. Read full review
50
New York PostSara StewartJan 21, 2015
Son of a Gun, from first-time feature director Julius Avery, begins with an enticingly dark first act in jail, but descends steadily downward into a mass of clichés. Read full review
50
ObserverRex ReedFeb 4, 2015
Maybe so much of Son of a Gun seems boring and directionless because so little of the dialogue is comprehensible. This is a problem that tanks so many imports these days. Read full review
63
RogerEbert.comScout TafoyaSep 2, 2017
There’s a horror and truth that comes from staring into the abyss, and Son of a Gun could stand to learn a little more from Michael Mann about how to convey those cinematically. It’s a little heavy on incident, and a little light on soul Read full review
38
Slant MagazineChristopher GrayJan 17, 2015
The film has the requisite iconography of a crime thriller, but no investment in any of it. Read full review
58
The A.V. ClubMike D'AngeloJan 22, 2015
Unfortunately, this promising material turns out to be merely the setup for a thoroughly generic action flick in which a gang of thieves without much honor attempt to pull off one last big heist. In the long, dispiriting slide to mediocrity thereafter, McGregor largely relapses into cute-rascal mode. Read full review
60
The DissolveKate ErblandJan 22, 2015
Bolstered by strong performances and a tight narrative, Son Of A Gun is an admirable debut film from Avery, and a worthy new entry into Australia’s burgeoning class of crime features. Read full review
60
The GuardianLeslie FelperinOct 25, 2015
McGregor, who is having a bit of comeback moment right now, is kind of great as the ruthless antihero, and the action set pieces have plenty of fizz. Read full review
40
The Hollywood ReporterStephen DaltonNov 22, 2014
While Avery handles the kinetic action set-piece with impressive swagger for a first-timer, his self-penned screenplay is a major weak point. Read full review
40
The New York TimesStephen HoldenJan 22, 2015
Son of a Gun adds to the mystique that Australian crime films are meaner, nastier and more brutish than their American counterparts. But it changes style roughly every half-hour. And behind its macho preening is a preposterous, routinely executed story. Read full review
50
The PlaylistOliver LytteltonNov 22, 2014
Avery can't commit to whether he's making a gritty "Animal Kingdom"-style crime picture, or a light caper film, and the final result is wonky in the extreme, particularly in the conclusion, which feels particularly muddled. Read full review
60
Time Out LondonTrevor JohnstonJan 27, 2015
It’s all put together with a crisp confidence that suggests its writer-director will swiftly move on to bigger things. Read full review
60
Total FilmJamie GrahamJan 26, 2015
Never sure if it wants to be a hard-edged character drama or pacy action-thriller, Son Of A Gun has plenty to admire between the tonal wobbles. Read full review
60
VarietyGuy LodgeNov 22, 2014
At least three entertaining films are jostling for position in Australian writer-director Julius Avery’s messily propulsive debut feature, Son of a Gun — and if none ultimately emerges dominant, the red-blooded tussle between them is never dull to watch. Read full review
50
Village VoiceAmy NicholsonJan 21, 2015
Like so many meathead action thrillers, it's too busy fogging the windows with hot air to see the big picture. Read full review
More From This Movie

49 Critic Reviews

6.1 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