The Fallen Idol (re-release)
Selznick Releasing Organization | Release Date: February 10, 2006 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
88
METASCORE
Universal acclaim based on 12 Critic Reviews
Positive:
11
Mixed:
1
Negative:
0
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
100
Washington PostAnn Hornaday
This is an example of a writer and director working in perfect harness, with Reed smoothly ratcheting up the story's suspense and Greene speculating on his cardinal theme of moral ambiguity. They don't make movies like The Fallen Idol anymore, all the more reason to see it now while you can. Read full review
100
Seattle Post-IntelligencerWilliam Arnold
Cinema does not get much better than this. Read full review
100
L.A. WeeklyJohn Patterson
One of the great movies about childhood innocence accidentally violated by adults...Reed, an often inconsistent filmmaker, handles the brutal mechanics of the plot superbly, with the marbled interiors of the embassy contrasting sharply with his almost neo-realist outdoor shots of postwar London. Read full review
100
Chicago TribuneMichael Wilmington
Of all the movies that try to take us into the mind and viewpoint of a child, Carol Reed's 1948 The Fallen Idol, adapted by Graham Greene from his short story, is one of the most ingenious. Read full review
91
Portland OregonianMarc Mohan
The result is a gripping film which, despite the annoying rugrat, demonstrates how part of leaving childhood behind is learning how and when to lie, and to do it well. Read full review
91
Baltimore SunMichael Sragow
A masterpiece of psychological suspense. Read full review
90
Village VoiceJ. Hoberman
The Fallen Idol has been overshadowed by the noir comedy, giddy style, and Cold War thematics of Reed and Greene's subsequent sensation "The Third Man," but (in similarly dealing with the nature of betrayal) The Fallen Idol is actually a superior psychological drama. Read full review
90
SalonAndrew O'Hehir
This is a fine example of British commercial filmmaking at its highest level of craftsmanship. Read full review
88
Boston GlobeTy Burr
Formally, the movie's a lasting pleasure: Reed's incisive direction; Greene's easy yet weighted dialogue; the farseeing deep-focus photography of Georges Perinal; Vincent Korda's luxuriant sets. Read full review
80
The New York TimesManohla Dargis
Beautifully shot by the French cinematographer Georges Périnal (whose credits include Cocteau's "Blood of a Poet"), the film soon evolves from a claustrophobic domestic affair into a mordantly discomfiting look at the betrayal of innocence. Read full review
80
EmpireDavid Parkinson
It might be lesser known, but certainly not deservingly so. This is a cracking piece of Brit cinema. Read full review
50
Chicago ReaderDave Kehr
Graham Greene's screenplay is centered on the pivotal moment when a child first discovers sin, but the boy's perspective is neglected in favor of facile suspense structures and a thuddingly conventional whodunit finale. Read full review
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