The Believer
Fireworks Pictures | Release Date: May 17, 2002 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
75
METASCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 28 Critic Reviews
Positive:
24
Mixed:
3
Negative:
1
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
100
Christian Science MonitorDavid Sterritt
Stunningly smart, genuinely disturbing film. Read full review
91
Portland OregonianShawn Levy
A deep and extraordinary film that isn't afraid to look evil in the face -- or, for that matter, to acknowledge that evil can be more complicated and even attractive than we'd want to admit. It's very, very difficult to watch, but you shouldn't miss it. Read full review
91
Entertainment WeeklyLisa Schwarzbaum
Bean's commitment to serious theological examination is exciting, Gosling's performance is riveting, and this fiery and imperfect feature shines as a demonstration of independent filmmaking at its most uncompromising. Read full review
90
Rolling StonePeter Travers
Unique and unforgettable. Read full review
90
Wall Street JournalJoe Morgenstern
What it's about is also what it requires for proper appreciation -- the ability of the human mind to hold, and even cherish, diametrically opposite thoughts.
90
Chicago ReaderJonathan Rosenbaum
Persuasive, intelligent, and provocative. Read full review
90
Film ThreatRon Wells
I thought I might have seen everything I needed to see about neo-Nazi skinheads in "Romper Stomper" and "American History X". Not only was I in for a surprise, but newcomer Ryan Gosling gives every bit as stunning a performance as did Russell Crowe and Ed Norton in those two films, and then some. Read full review
90
SlateDavid Edelstein
I confess I don't fully understand Danny's (or the movie's) zigs and zags, but I was glued to the thing anyway -- it has an inexplicable inner logic -- and I admire Bean for refusing to settle into any easy groove. Read full review
88
Chicago TribuneMichael Wilmington
One of the year's most thought-provoking, hard-hitting films, gutsily opening up a subject rarely done with this kind of all-out chutzpah. Read full review
80
New Times (L.A.)Bill Gallo
There are a couple of technical rough spots, but this daring film challenges most widely held notions about religious conviction while providing a complex portrait of an identity crisis that's run amok and a good mind that's jumped the tracks. Read full review
80
L.A. WeeklyManohla Dargis
After its electric opening -- one of the few occasions where Bean advances his case cinematically, showing rather than just telling -- the film rapidly assumes the shape of a 100-minute debate, as Danny argues against the Jews and, in the same breath, for them. Read full review
80
Village VoiceJ. Hoberman
Bean has built a bonfire of contradictions and the ensuing conflagration illuminates a bit of the world. Read full review
78
Austin ChronicleSteve Davis
The film's greatest strength undeniably lies in Gosling's revelatory portrayal of Danny. Read full review
75
Philadelphia InquirerCarrie Rickey
It is a challenging film, if not always a narratively cohesive one. Read full review
75
Charlotte ObserverLawrence Toppman
Ryan Gosling's riveting as a neo-Nazi who was raised in Jewish faith Read full review
75
Chicago Sun-TimesRoger Ebert
The film's anti-Semitism is articulate but wrong, and the conflict between what the hero says and what he believes (or does not want to believe) is at the very center of the story. Read full review
75
Seattle Post-IntelligencerPaula Nechak
The film is so full of ideas and so dense that its narrative splinters, moving tangentially, and ultimately is weighed down by its rant and rhetoric. Read full review
75
Boston GlobeMatthew Gilbert
An amazing and incendiary movie that dives straight into the rough waters of contradiction. Read full review
75
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)Jennie Punter
The artistry of the storytelling, the visual approach and Gosling's performance in The Believer make us believe that Danny's path was the only choice for him, a truly disturbing and fascinating revelation. Read full review
70
VarietyTodd McCarthy
Those who see it at fests, and in carefully tailored specialized release, will be struck by the adroitness with which it addresses touchy issues, as well as by the outstanding performance of Ryan Gosling in the difficult leading role. Read full review
70
The A.V. ClubScott Tobias
If nothing else, The Believer trusts that faith can not only withstand a little skepticism, but also gather strength and meaning from it. Read full review
70
The New York TimesJulie Salamon
This willfully provocative film portrait offers lots of raging, vulgarity and shock but little insight into the character's psychopathology. Read full review
70
Los Angeles TimesKevin Thomas
Admirably ambitious and utterly unsparing, but as credible as the arc of Danny's odyssey is in itself, the all-important need to evoke a profound sense of the enigmatic and paradoxical in relation to Danny's fate has eluded Bean. Read full review
63
New York Daily NewsJami Bernard
Gosling's performance is a stunner, although the story-telling is otherwise pedestrian. It is the movie's blessing and curse that it does not shy away from Danny's murderous, inexplicable contradictions — or explain them. Read full review
60
TV Guide MagazineKen Fox
Flawed but undeniably provocative and brilliantly acted by Gosling. Read full review
50
New York PostLou Lumenick
Treads an awfully thin line between the provocative and the exploitative. Read full review
50
San Francisco ChronicleCarla Meyer
The movie's shift into an implausible thriller magnifies its lack of character development. But Gosling gives an impassioned performance throughout. Read full review
20
SalonCharles Taylor
A bad movie -- really a terrible movie -- with a daring idea behind it. And it's had the sort of crummy luck that, no matter what you think of it, can get you steamed. Read full review
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