War Story
IFC Films | Release Date: July 30, 2014 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
50
METASCORE
Mixed or average reviews based on 13 Critic Reviews
Positive:
5
Mixed:
4
Negative:
4
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
80
VarietyScott FoundasAug 25, 2014
Anchored by Keener’s understated, psychologically acute performance, director Mark Jackson’s spare, quietly powerful sophomore feature demonstrates an impressive control of mood and tone and the ability to tell a story largely without words. Read full review
70
Los Angeles TimesSheri LindenAug 7, 2014
Keener's performance riveting. Read full review
70
Village VoiceSerena DonadoniJul 29, 2014
Jackson and co-screenwriter Kristin Gore prize ambiguity, allowing for cathartic revelations but no easy resolutions. Read full review
70
The Hollywood ReporterTodd McCarthyJul 28, 2014
Fronted by an outstanding performance from Catherine Keener, who is onscreen, often by herself, at almost every moment, this challenging but not difficult second feature from Mark Jackson parcels out its information in gradual increments, forcing the viewer to infer rather simply receive most narrative information. Read full review
67
The A.V. ClubJesse HassengerJul 30, 2014
Jackson’s technique is undercut, if only a little, by story and characters that sometimes cross the line from minimalist to just plain underdeveloped. Yet as a formal exercise that gives Keener the space to really inhabit her character, War Story is effective. Read full review
60
The GuardianChris MichaelJul 28, 2014
Jackson is wise to keep Keener's pushy, desperate Lee in centre focus. Read full review
50
New York PostSara StewartJul 30, 2014
Lee may not want to let anyone in, but it’s hard to engage fully with a film that doesn’t seem to want to, either. Read full review
50
Slant MagazineClayton DillardJul 28, 2014
Mark Jackson's direction strips much of the agency from any character's grasp by insisting that their dilemmas can only be revealed with stone-faced austerity. Read full review
40
New York Daily NewsElizabeth WeitzmanJul 31, 2014
An excellent Keener commits reliably to the role and does give us moments worth savoring. But the underwritten script and misguided direction leave her stranded. Read full review
38
RogerEbert.comChristy LemireJul 31, 2014
There’s minimalist filmmaking that’s quietly intriguing, and then there’s emotional detachment that’s stultifying to the point of being nap-inducing. War Story falls into the latter category. Read full review
30
The DissolveMike D'AngeloJul 31, 2014
Sincerity and good intentions are all it has going for it, alas, and the result is the cinematic equivalent of a plate full of spinach. Read full review
30
The New York TimesJeannette CatsoulisJul 29, 2014
Aiming for a moody portrait of psychological distress, Mark Jackson directs with a sluggish pace, an abstract style and a dismal aesthetic that rebuff involvement. Read full review
16
The PlaylistRodrigo PerezJul 28, 2014
Elusively told to the point of irritation, joyless and shot in chilly incarcerating rooms, War Story has the look and feel of an exhausted ashtray and borders on the pretentiously unclear. Read full review
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