The Claim
United Artists | Release Date: December 29, 2000 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
62
METASCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 28 Critic Reviews
Positive:
15
Mixed:
11
Negative:
2
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
90
L.A. WeeklyF. X. Feeney
A superb film by any measure, as deep and harsh as the sin Dillon committed to become great. Read full review
90
SalonCharles Taylor
One of those rare literary adaptations that finds its fidelity in freedom, that stands as both a fitting version of its source material and as its own creation. Read full review
89
Austin ChronicleKimberley Jones
The characters in The Claim suffer under the weight of very big things -- betrayal, abandonment, disease, death -- but they do so quietly, stoically, until, by God, they just can't take it anymore. Read full review
88
Chicago Sun-TimesRoger Ebert
Parsimonious with its plot, which is revealed on a need-to-know basis. At first, we're not even sure who is who; dialogue is half-heard, references are unclear, the townspeople know things we discover only gradually. Read full review
88
Boston GlobeJay Carr
Stark, haunting, epic, and mournful, The Claim is a mountain of a film.
80
Film.comErnest Hardy
A sleeper that's well worth hunting down. Its rewards sneak up on you, but then linger long afterwards. Read full review
80
SlateDavid Edelstein
Gives off the same vapor of impending tragedy—of a fate neither just nor unjust but ineffably, wrenchingly right. Read full review
75
Seattle Post-IntelligencerPaula Nechak
Beautifully acted and conceived -- even if the final vision is not always totally satisfying. Read full review
75
Chicago TribuneMichael Wilmington
I liked The Claim -- as much for its stark visual beauty and impassioned performances as its intelligent script and willingness to probe the tragic side of life.
75
San Francisco ChronicleBob Graham
It overcomes some patchiness to turn into a rich emotional experience, ranging in degree from fire to ice. Read full review
75
Philadelphia InquirerDesmond Ryan
Winterbottom also has the insight to share the novelist's suggestion that landscape can reflect and, to a degree, even shape character.
75
New York Daily NewsJack Mathews
Its sprawling canvas is mere backdrop for the most intimate of character studies -- a portrait of a man who chose material wealth and found emotional ruin. Read full review
70
Rolling StonePeter Travers
Draws an electric performance from Peter Mullan. Read full review
70
The New York TimesStephen Holden
A languorously muted, occasionally magnificent film. Read full review
67
Entertainment WeeklyLisa Schwarzbaum
There's something almost too controlled, cerebral, and overdetermined about Winterbottom's Western notions. Read full review
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