The Dutchman
Inaugural Entertainment | Release Date: January 2, 2026 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
67
METASCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 9 Critic Reviews
Positive:
6
Mixed:
3
Negative:
0

Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
80
Film ThreatAlan NgMar 5, 2026
Great movies to me are stories that engage from start to finish and ask important questions at the end. The Dutchman does that from start to finish. Moral tales point out how flawed we are, and suggest a better way forward. And for Clay, that journey is far from over. Enjoy. Read full review
75
The Travers TakePeter TraversJan 9, 2026
In a fresh film take on Amiri Baraka’s 1964 race play, Kate Mara’s sexed-up subway rider hits on André Holland like a white Eve out to destroy a Black Adam through assimilation, intimidation, and worse. You can’t watch it passively. It dares you to engage. Read full review
75
IndieWireRyan LattanzioMar 17, 2025
Still, as with any great theater, the performances here are superb, with Holland telegraphing Clay’s years of insecurity into the confines of a one-night-only movie that opens a window onto a Black identity crisis, only to shut it down on us as we peer over the sill. Read full review
70
ColliderShawn Van HornJan 1, 2026
The performances of Holland and Mara mask the weaknesses of a slightly unfulfilled adaptation, which has charm in its flaws. The ending attempts to set the themes right, but needing to think about it afterward means it's not a film you'll forget about so soon. Seek out The Dutchman. It's well worth the challenge. Read full review
70
The New York TimesLisa KennedyJan 1, 2026
As with the play (and its 1967 film adaptation), the sexual politics here are messy. What isn’t is the filmmakers’ bold dive into the archives of the nascent Black Arts Movement for a throughline. Read full review
63
RogerEbert.comJourdain SearlesJan 2, 2026
By expanding the play’s world, Gaines opens himself up to new scrutiny. Beetz does the best she can with a thinly drawn character, but it’s hard not to wonder what The Dutchman would look like if Gaines showed any real interest in her. Read full review
60
VarietyMurtada ElfadlJan 3, 2026
The Dutchman exists in a tense space between reverence and reinvention. It is an adaptation so aware of the power and legacy of Baraka’s text that it never fully trusts its own instincts. The result is a film that provokes thought more than feeling, one that invites discussion, while denying audiences the emotional dimension that might have driven home its relevance. Read full review
60
Screen RantGraeme GuttmannJan 2, 2026
With Holland and Mara, the commitment to The Dutchman is apparent and though its ending feels as if things are wrapped up a bit too cleanly, the film succeeds in being an unnerving odyssey over one New York night. Read full review
55
TheWrapWilliam BibbianiJan 2, 2026
It’s easy to appreciate the ambition of Gaines’ new take on Dutchman, but the original tale is fighting back, and it’s got the upper hand. Read full review
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