The Score
Paramount Pictures | Release Date: July 13, 2001 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
71
METASCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 29 Critic Reviews
Positive:
20
Mixed:
8
Negative:
1
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
83
Entertainment WeeklyOwen Gleiberman
A sturdily diverting old fashioned heist thriller that looks like a masterpiece of sheer competence next to the slovenly action fantasy F/X grab bags that have been passing for summer entertainment. Read full review
50
Baltimore SunMichael Sragow
What's fatal to the film is that De Niro's character, though compelling, is so temperate and wise he gives no indication of why he was drawn to a life of crime. Read full review
80
L.A. WeeklyElla Taylor
You begin to wonder whether a story is ever going to show up. When it does, it's worth the wait for a long and well-turned set piece coordinating the heist, and two lovely flips in the plot. Read full review
88
Chicago TribuneMichael Wilmington
It's a summit meeting between three brilliant leading men from three generations with three striking on-screen personas. Read full review
60
New York Magazine (Vulture)Peter Rainer
I'm not sure I have it in me to rant yet again about what a deprivation it is for our finest actor to deny us his genius in this way. Read full review
75
Miami HeraldRene Rodriguez
If The Score isn't quite in the same league as the classic "Rififi" or even "Thief," its single-mindedness still makes for a refreshing change from the preposterous bloat of most contemporary action movies. Read full review
70
New Times (L.A.)Gregory Weinkauf
Brando wanders through the movie as if he's tolerating an annoying guest, sweetly charming one minute, detached and obnoxious the next. Read full review
30
The New York TimesDana Stevens
I don't know how much The Score cost, but it's pretty close to worthless. Read full review
80
Los Angeles TimesKenneth Turan
A top-drawer heist movie that ratchets up the tension inch by careful inch, The Score will remind you of classic caper films of the past, and that is a good thing. Read full review
100
Washington PostDesson Thomson
The best heist flick since "The Usual Suspects," a perfect 10 of a movie. Read full review
90
VarietyRobert Hofler
Meticulously detailed thriller. Read full review
83
Seattle Post-IntelligencerWilliam Arnold
It has a terrific retro style, it's well-directed and it makes an engrossing showcase for its trio of stars. Read full review
60
TV Guide MagazineTanya L. Edwards
With its dream cast, standard story and heaps of class, this is the kind of sophisticated heist flick that could be just as easily at home in 1951 as it is in 2001. Read full review
78
Austin ChronicleMarjorie Baumgarten
You get the sense that this elegant, tough-guy jazz caper is a movie Clint Eastwood might have been proud to make. Read full review
88
Boston GlobeJay Carr
Nobody's going to think of The Score as trail-blazing, but there's nothing small-time about its dramatic and acting payoff. Read full review
75
New York PostLou Lumenick
Except when Norton is playing retarded, he and De Niro basically compete to see who can under-act the other. It's positively mesmerizing. Read full review
63
USA TodayClaudia Puig
There are explosions, double-crosses and chase sequences, but it just doesn't add up to edge-of-your-seat tension. Read full review
80
Rolling StonePeter Travers
There's more suspense in watching Brando, who has trouble with physical exertion, get on and off a bar stool than the robbery itself. Still, Brando -- his eyes alive with mischief --is the life of the movie. Read full review
100
Portland OregonianBarry Johnson
A snappy little heist movie with acting performances both deft and brilliant Read full review
60
Chicago ReaderJonathan Rosenbaum
This one's slightly better than average these days, which means slightly diverting. Read full review
75
New York Daily NewsJack Mathews
As a film, The Score may not add up to much, but take it apart and it's something to see. Read full review
60
Village VoiceDennis Lim
Perhaps awed by the congress of Method men, director Frank Oz stands back as his actors phone it in. Read full review
80
SalonCharles Taylor
A weaker actor, one more naked than De Niro is now capable of being, might have revealed some inner compulsion in the character. But De Niro's steadiness becomes part of the movie's rugged stolidity. Read full review
88
Chicago Sun-TimesRoger Ebert
Not a great movie, but as a classic heist movie, it's solid professionalism. Read full review
75
Philadelphia InquirerCarrie Rickey
A jazzy, immensely absorbing thriller. Read full review
40
Wall Street JournalEd Epstein
Lacks a crucial element of the heist subgenre: ingenuity.
75
San Francisco ChronicleBob Graham
This is a solid suspense thriller that's fun. These stars have put it together in a spirit of playfulness -- as in playacting. Read full review
60
SlateDavid Edelstein
An appropriately generic title for a droning, high-toned little heist picture with no dash and no raison d'être. Read full review
60
Mr. ShowbizCody Clark
It's Norton's movie, really, and he shines both as cocky Jack and as cerebral-palsied Brian.
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