The Monk and the Gun
Roadside Attractions | Release Date: February 9, 2024 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
74
METASCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 13 Critic Reviews
Positive:
10
Mixed:
3
Negative:
0
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
100
RogerEbert.comMarya E. GatesFeb 8, 2024
Lusciously lensed by cinematographer Jigme Tenzing, the ensemble comedy examines how the country’s upcoming mock elections affect the titular monk, a rural family, an election official, and a desperate liason from the city, all of whose lives collide in minor and major ways. Read full review
91
Original-CinLiam LaceyFeb 22, 2024
Fans of action films as Top Gun, American Sniper or Hobo with a Shotgun may be disappointed by the absence of splatter, though The Monk and the Gun achieves is own kind of sardonic catharsis. Read full review
90
Screen RantFerdosa AbdiFeb 15, 2024
The Monk and the Gun is a true crowd-pleaser, a poignant message wrapped up in a humorous and vibrant tale. Read full review
88
Washington PostMichael O'SullivanFeb 5, 2024
Though it takes place in the recent past, at a time when the Bhutanese people were still getting used to such American imports as James Bond movies and “black water” (Coca-Cola), the film has something important to say about the promise and the perils of the present. Read full review
82
TheWrapSteve PondSep 18, 2023
Things come to a head in a way that is simultaneously slapstick-y and touching, and entirely in keeping with a movie that has never lost its sense of charm through an hour and a half of twists and turns and engaging mountain escapades. Read full review
80
Los Angeles TimesRobert AbeleFeb 9, 2024
At a time when extremes in discourse always seem loudest, the modest pleasures of The Monk and the Gun are appealingly reasonable. Brandishing new ways doesn’t have to mean holstering old ones. Read full review
80
The Hollywood ReporterStephen FarberSep 18, 2023
Perhaps there are a couple of unnecessary complications on the way to the denouement, but the storytelling is lively and piquant, demonstrating the director’s sense of humor and sharp observational skills. Read full review
78
Paste MagazineElijah GonzalezFeb 9, 2024
The Monk and the Gun, the sophomore effort from Pawo Choyning Dorji, is centered on people feeling the full brunt of this experience for the first time. Set against the backdrop of 2006 Bhutan, The Monk and the Gun is a light but well-delivered political satire about the country’s first democratic elections following their king’s abdication. Read full review
75
Slant MagazineRoss McIndoeFeb 5, 2024
The film pulls off something truly bold: taking what are perhaps the most emotionally and symbolically loaded items in existence and subverting their meaning completely to end on a note of peace, joy, and hope for the future. Read full review
75
IndieWireChristian ZilkoSep 18, 2023
The Monk and the Gun is a film that understands why we still need to consider tradition — the actual definition of the word, that is — when thinking about complex political issues. Read full review
58
The PlaylistBrian FarvourSep 18, 2023
It’s only when you realize that this is indeed an aimless feature film where any symbolism or real-life commentary isn’t going to make much of a mark. That and the fact that this fearless director sees this oddly flat, though congenial, project as a comedy quickly all fall into a narrative hopelessly lost in a sea of tedium. Read full review
50
The Film StageAlistair RyderFeb 20, 2024
What I find damning about the film––its refusal to sit with or explore the consequences of the country’s gradual transition to democracy––may be worthy of praise by national audiences, but makes it harder to truly embrace from an outsider’s perspective. Read full review
50
The New York TimesManohla DargisFeb 8, 2024
However sincere and justified, the digs are so innocuous that their main purpose seems to flatter Western viewers who will nod along as they coo at the landscapes and chuckle knowingly about ugly truths they think have nothing to do with them, but do. Read full review
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