Vengo
Cowboy Booking International | Release Date: September 7, 2001 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
64
METASCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 17 Critic Reviews
Positive:
11
Mixed:
5
Negative:
1

Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
90
Los Angeles TimesKevin Thomas
It is best to let this stunning film simply wash over you and trust that all will become clear enough in time. Vengo in a sense is a concert film tied together with the slenderest of plots. Read full review
80
Chicago ReaderLisa Alspector
Elegant flamenco tragedy. Read full review
80
Village VoiceJ. Hoberman
Gatlif's latest celebration of gypsy soul, sets a modest sliver of narrative in a fabulous widescreen landscape and surrounds it with a permanent party. Read full review
80
New Times (L.A.)Gregory Weinkauf
There's just no arguing with 12 centuries of flamenco, and, in this sensuous movie, no resisting it. Read full review
80
Washington PostMichael O'Sullivan
Feels like a song you may have heard before, but one whose aching beauty makes it endlessly listenable. Read full review
78
Austin ChronicleMarc Savlov
There's a deep, bone-weary melancholy to the proceedings, offset by the mad parties and vicious displays of machismo. Read full review
75
New York Daily NewsElizabeth Weitzman
Characteristically lacking in narrative -- but what it misses in traditional plot devices, it more than makes up for in passion. Read full review
75
Boston GlobeLoren King
Presents a darkly realistic yet seductive world, with music as the tie that binds.
70
L.A. WeeklyHazel-Dawn Dumpert
On its own, the story is tepid, and less than original. What draws us in is the way in which Gatlif sets it against a rich Andalusian backdrop. Read full review
70
VarietyDavid Stratton
Music has always played a vital role in the films of Tony Gatlif, and in Vengo it finally threatens to take over, submerging the frail, familiar vendetta plotline. Read full review
63
Chicago TribunePatrick Z. McGavin
Filled with dazzling moments, Vengo never quite reaches the heights those moments promise. Read full review
60
Film ThreatMerle Bertrand
A musical feast for eyes and ears alike. Read full review
50
San Francisco ChronicleBob Graham
There may be no more unusual movie around than Vengo. Read full review
40
The New York TimesDave Kehr
Seems held back by vestiges of an old-fashioned format that Mr. Gatlif has long since outgrown. Read full review
40
TV Guide MagazineStephen Miller
The non-professional actors do their schmaltzy best with Gatlif and co-writer David Trueba's sparse dialogue and what appears to have been Gatlif's very limited direction. Read full review
40
Mr. ShowbizKevin Maynard
All that this really amounts to is a lot of hot-headed, hairy men threatening each other -- whenever they're not dancing on table tops, that is.
38
New York PostJonathan Foreman
Neither convincing nor remotely dramatic. Read full review
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