The Standoff at Sparrow Creek
RLJ Entertainment | Release Date: January 18, 2019 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
62
METASCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 10 Critic Reviews
Positive:
6
Mixed:
3
Negative:
1
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
91
The Film StageJared MobarakJan 26, 2019
The Standoff at Sparrow Creek isn’t about finding hope in a hopeless situation through a broken man willing to be the hero rather than villain. No, it wants to show the monstrousness of complicity and the helplessness of a conflict too far-gone to solve. Read full review
88
RogerEbert.comBrian TallericoJan 19, 2019
Dunham displays a remarkable skill when it comes to using limited space, trapping his characters in a warehouse on a life-changing night and watching the insecurities that they have shrouded in macho masculinity come bubbling to the surface. Read full review
83
The A.V. ClubKatie RifeJan 16, 2019
Rather than defanging the story, sanding down The Standoff At Sparrow Creek’s political implications foregrounds its exceptional dialogue and strong performances, revealing the lean, punchy, beautifully shot ’70s-style thriller underneath the controversial premise. Read full review
80
Film ThreatHunter LanierJan 17, 2019
There is no emotional manipulation, and there are no ideological hand-outs. You almost feel like you’re watching the events unfold through a keyhole, which gives every hushed exchange and passive-aggressive examination a voyeuristic thrill. Read full review
79
Paste MagazineAndrew CrumpJan 23, 2019
Dunham’s filmmaking remains disciplined throughout, building pressure within that’s eventually released in explosive violence. That’s what the title promises, after all. But that promise doesn’t blunt the jolting effect of The Standoff at Sparrow Creek’s storytelling or the gutpunches dealt in its climax. Read full review
70
New York Magazine (Vulture)Bilge EbiriJan 19, 2019
That the actors are so good, and the imagery absorbing, also helps paper over some of the film’s weaker elements. Even as we dig into these men’s pasts, Dunham wants to maintain the slightly unreal, allegorical quality of his story. Read full review
50
Los Angeles TimesJustin ChangJan 17, 2019
It flirts with politics but is content to settle, in the end, for a parlor trick. Read full review
50
ObserverRex ReedJan 17, 2019
The caterpillar crawl that passes for pacing succeeds in putting any number of viewers to sleep, including me. Read full review
40
Arizona RepublicSamantha IncorvaiaJan 16, 2019
The film has so much potential, but it's a shame that it all falls flat. Read full review
30
The New York TimesBen KenigsbergJan 17, 2019
The Standoff at Sparrow Creek, the writing-directing feature debut of Henry Dunham, strands seven actors in a warehouse to bark exposition at one another. Listening closely is necessary: The monotonously dark visuals barely function to carry the story on their own. Read full review
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