Texas Killing Fields
Anchor Bay Entertainment | Release Date: October 14, 2011 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
49
METASCORE
Mixed or average reviews based on 17 Critic Reviews
Positive:
3
Mixed:
13
Negative:
1
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
70
TimeRichard CorlissOct 16, 2011
Applying Dad's directorial style of sweaty closeups, prowling telephoto shots and an ominous electronic score (by ex-Tindersticks member Dickon Hinchliffe), the younger Mann has dished out a meaty drama with familiar ingredients from the Law & Order kitchen but a distinctively bitter taste. Read full review
70
SalonAndrew O'HehirOct 16, 2011
It's an intriguingly murky B-movie that should satisfy genre buffs. Read full review
67
The A.V. ClubKeith PhippsOct 12, 2011
Without "The Wire" and its like as a point of comparison, Texas Killing Fields might seem the natural heir to a gritty '70s cop drama. But with great contemporary TV around, it seems strangely incomplete. Read full review
60
Village VoiceNick PinkertonOct 11, 2011
The plot is a chaos of underdeveloped relationships and frayed loose ends, but every so often, Mann does something so right that it makes this seem less a matter of narrative disorganization than a commentary on the anarchy intrinsic to any investigation. Read full review
60
Time OutKeith UhlichOct 11, 2011
When it comes to scenes in which characters are asked to say more than two words, however, the filmmaker's a decided amateur; Moretz, in particular, seems hopelessly stranded as the attitudinal wild child. Read full review
55
MovielineStephanie ZacharekOct 14, 2011
Moretz brings some natural gravity to a role that hasn't been adequately fleshed out. Read full review
50
Chicago ReaderJ.R. JonesOct 20, 2011
Michael Mann was one of the producers, and his daughter Ami Canaan Mann directed; a couple more Manns fill out the credits, which makes you wonder why they couldn't just have a nice picnic and softball game at a state park somewhere. Read full review
50
Arizona RepublicBill GoodykoontzOct 20, 2011
The story simply doesn't stand up, with its combination of well-worn plot elements and confusing red herrings -- or maybe they're just details that don't add up. Read full review
50
Chicago Sun-TimesRoger EbertOct 19, 2011
Texas Killing Fields begins along the lines of a police procedural and might have been perfectly absorbing if it had played by the rules: strict logic, attention to detail, reference to technical police work. Unfortunately, the movie often seems to stray from such discipline. Read full review
50
New York PostLou LumenickOct 14, 2011
Basically "csi: East Texas,'' the debut feature of Ami Canaan Mann is long on style and short on coherent storytelling, not unlike numerous efforts by her director dad, Michael, who serves as a producer here. Read full review
50
The New York TimesNeil GenzlingerOct 13, 2011
Ms. Mann (Michael's daughter) does stage a bracing car chase, and Mr. Morgan makes an impression despite a story that's sometimes hard to follow. Read full review
50
IndieWireEric KohnOct 13, 2011
The younger Mann goes through the motions of a gritty murder mystery with plenty of technical proficiency but only a modicum of soul. The Mann touch is not only in the DNA of the director but in her movie, which inadvertently makes the case that atmosphere is more hereditary than innovation. Read full review
50
Slant MagazineNick SchagerOct 9, 2011
Texas Killing Fields's mood is one of drowning in quicksand, though said atmosphere is the byproduct of both Ami Canaan Mann's often dreamy direction and an editorial structure that intermittently devolves into elliptical incongruity. Read full review
50
The Hollywood ReporterNeil YoungOct 2, 2011
A just-OK second feature from Ami Canaan Mann – daughter of Michael Mann, one of two credited producers here – and the latest outing for "Avatar" and "Clash of the Titans'" Sam Worthington. Read full review
40
Los Angeles TimesBetsy SharkeyOct 13, 2011
As good as Worthington, Chastain, Moretz and Morgan can be as they try to untangle the morass and the menace - and get caught up in it - they just can't quite pull it off. The real killer, sadly, is the script. Read full review
40
VarietyLeslie FelperinOct 2, 2011
Script by former DEA officer Don Ferrarone isn't that bad in itself, but matters aren't helped by the mumbled performances and poor sound, which make it hard to hear what anyone's saying, while sloppy editing wreaks havoc on the story. Read full review
20
New York Daily NewsJoe NeumaierOct 14, 2011
Rote, dull and point-blank obvious. Read full review
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