The Bag Man
Universal Studios Home Entertainment | Release Date: February 28, 2014 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
28
METASCORE
Generally unfavorable reviews based on 18 Critic Reviews
Positive:
1
Mixed:
6
Negative:
11
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
75
ReelViewsJames BerardinelliMar 6, 2014
The film has a nihilistic tone and its gallows humor may turn off more viewers than it seduces. Not since "Killer Joe" has a film exerted this mix of attraction and repulsion. Read full review
50
Arizona RepublicBill GoodykoontzMar 6, 2014
Grovic knows all the tricks of the trade, such as keeping the lighting dark (often too dark), in an attempt to add atmosphere. But in the end it seems like a series of shortcuts. Read full review
50
Entertainment WeeklyChris NashawatyFeb 27, 2014
The only one having any fun in this dead-on-arrival noir is Robert De Niro. Read full review
50
The DissolveJen ChaneyFeb 26, 2014
The Bag Man is always teetering on the edge of amateurish absurdity, before being tugged back from the edge by its actors. Read full review
50
Slant MagazineChuck BowenFeb 24, 2014
The premise might make sense, if only hypocritically, but the film abandons this already flimsy parody of macho pride disastrously at the last minute. Read full review
40
Los Angeles TimesBetsy SharkeyFeb 27, 2014
It is the most nonsensical crime caper to make it on screen in a while. Read full review
40
Village VoiceNick SchagerFeb 25, 2014
The trouble is that Grovic's attempts to generate suspense by keeping character identities and motivations unknown leaves the proceedings feeling vague and slapdash. Read full review
38
RogerEbert.comSheila O'MalleyFeb 28, 2014
The Bag Man is so sloppily executed it feels like they didn't have enough light fixtures to get the effects they wanted. But that's only one of the problems. Read full review
30
The New York TimesStephen HoldenFeb 27, 2014
At least Mr. De Niro, who disappears from the movie until the end, seems to be enjoying himself. The force of his bonhomie gives this murky-looking, empty conceit of a film a desperately needed lift of facetious humor. Read full review
25
Chicago Sun-TimesRichard RoeperMar 7, 2014
What it looks like is warmed-over Tarantino mixed with a third-rate tribute to the Coen brothers with a dose of David Lynch-ian madness, two decades late to the party. Read full review
25
Washington PostMichael O'SullivanMar 6, 2014
The self-conscious affectation of the film would be funny, were it not so smug. Read full review
25
The A.V. ClubMike D'AngeloFeb 26, 2014
The Bag Man plays like a film from the years right after "Pulp Fiction," when the indie market was suddenly flooded with quips, guns, and hollow affectation. Read full review
25
New York PostSara StewartFeb 26, 2014
This blathery, misogynist indie from first-time director David Grovic — which seems to be aiming for “Pulp Fiction” territory with its blend of crime, banter and the mysterious contents of a bag — falls far short, rife as it is with noir and gender clichés. Read full review
25
ObserverRex ReedFeb 26, 2014
It takes just under two hours of tedium before you find out what’s in the bag, and you might be sorry you waited. Read full review
20
VarietyScott FoundasMar 5, 2014
It’s only the Brazilian-born Da Costa who seems to be trying to create a real character. Read full review
20
New York Magazine (Vulture)Bilge EbiriMar 3, 2014
A wan little neo-noir whose intricacies inspire more tedium than suspense, The Bag Man is a good example of how to waste a solid cast. Read full review
20
New York Daily NewsElizabeth WeitzmanFeb 27, 2014
So do the minutes. They stretch on as one tiresomely quirky sadist after another appears. Cusack is typically likable and De Niro is amusing in his brief scenes. But unlike Jack, you’re too smart to make big sacrifices for so little return. Read full review
0
The PlaylistChristopher SchobertMar 2, 2014
The Bag Man is, in final analysis, truly disheartening. Read full review
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