The War Zone
Lot 47 Films | Release Date: December 10, 1999 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
68
METASCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 21 Critic Reviews
Positive:
15
Mixed:
6
Negative:
0
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
100
Portland OregonianShawn Levy
A masterfully varied set of images, paces and moods. Read full review
100
Chicago Sun-TimesRoger Ebert
Brilliant and heartbreaking, takes place in the present but is timeless. Read full review
89
Austin ChronicleMarc Savlov
Sellbinding, distressing, and possessed of a dark and terrible beauty. Read full review
88
Boston GlobeJay Carr
In all respects, from choice of material to fullness of execution on every level, The War Zone is an extraordinary piece of work. Read full review
88
New York Daily NewsJack Mathews
Showing as much courage and talent behind the camera as he has while acting in front of it, Roth has crafted for his first film one of the most bluntly graphic and disturbing movies ever done on the subject. Read full review
80
TV Guide MagazineKen Fox
Actor Tim Roth's austere directing debut is one of the most difficult, emotionally wrenching experiences you're likely to have in a movie theater any time soon. Read full review
75
San Francisco ChronicleEdward Guthmann
One of the most impressive actor-to-filmmaker transitions in recent years. Read full review
75
Seattle Post-IntelligencerPaula Nechak
Sticks in the mind and simply won't go away. Read full review
75
Entertainment WeeklyOwen Gleiberman
Roth, there's no denying, creates considerable suspense out of our desire to confront the forbidden. Read full review
75
Miami HeraldCurtis Morgan
Grim, tight and well acted. Read full review
70
Village VoiceAmy Taubin
We may not want another film about incest, but there's a necessity about this one that won't be denied. Read full review
70
Dallas ObserverJean Oppenheimer
A bleak, beautiful film. Read full review
68
Mr. ShowbizMichael Atkinson
A brooding, stunningly realistic portrait of familial self-destruction that raises far more questions than it can possibly answer. Read full review
63
San Francisco ExaminerWesley Morris
Roth, though, is like a sociopathic arsonist, one enthralled with his ability to start little blazes and one who would even call the fire department, but wouldn't stick around to see whether anyone put them out. Read full review
63
New York PostJonathan Foreman
A relentlessly grim, rather heavy-handed drama of family dysfunction. Read full review
60
The New York TimesJanet Maslin
The actor Tim Roth makes a fierce, disturbing directorial debut with a film that treats incest as something worse than a terrible secret. Read full review
50
L.A. WeeklyJohn Patterson
Roth can obviously direct actors sympathetically, and he paces the movie adroitly. Read full review
50
Los Angeles TimesEric Harrison
Much of its strength resides in the way it eschews narrative contrivance. The movie observes behavior without explaining or judging it. Read full review
50
Film.comMoira Macdonald
Its grimness is so unrelenting that I can only recommend it to filmgoers who need a movie to tell them that incest is bad. Read full review
40
Film.comErnest Hardy
Wrought with pretension -- and a blind eye to its own exploitation. Read full review
40
Chicago ReaderLisa Alspector
The ultimately uncomplicated view of sexual and emotional violence in a family is only tragic, not insightful. Read full review
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