Profound and superbly acted, with a moving script superbly adapted from David Lindsay-Abaire's Pulitzer-winning play.

It all feels about as spontaneous as a concrete blueprint.

Michael Mann , directs with his standard prejudice toward the sheer physical. The result, almost musical, has only a couple recent movie precedents. [25 Sep 1992, p.1D]

The movie, based on a true story, takes surprising twists and turns right up to its chilling ending and is probably the best gangster crime drama of the year.

The film grows on you, but more substance and less calculated quirks would have been a royal treat.

Endearing and believable, the two actors playing Ellis and Neckbone are pitch-perfect.

Thirty pounds lighter, all cheekbones and bulging eyes, Gyllenhaal plays one of the year's most memorable characters in this dark, provocative drama.

Emperor is like Full Metal Jacket - uneven, fuzzy, imperfect, and one of the reasons the movies were invented. [20 Nov 1987, p.1D]

Crowd-pleasing and compelling, most of all because of its fiery, charismatic heroine.

As the suddenly somber Hickey, the traveling salesman who rudely stops regaling assorted skid-row barflies with flip patter in 1912 New York, Lee Marvin is very good in a role that Jason Robards always owned. Otherwise, the actors are all on a "wow" level. [04 Apr 2003]

Side-splitting laughter, along with some powerful cringing, are likely to be audiences' dominant reactions.

In a possible breakthrough role, Law would seem to be the big winner.

A case of smart and talented people trying to jam a Cold War square into a Gulf War circle. You can feel the chafing, to say nothing of the burden this capably crafted shrug has taken on.

Powerfully honest, insightful and poignant.

Its stylish and gritty authenticity is superbly suited to this murder mystery.

An engaging and exciting family film that at times feels a bit like "The Lord of the Rings Jr."

While the narrative doesn’t totally land, the voice cast is solid and the vibe is consistently joyous.

A model of what a largely talking-heads documentary should be, with on-camera testimonials and lots of film clips that offer layers of context.

As close as anything could be to a light Mamet comedy.

A heartening and poignant affirmation of the transformative power of music.

The result is an odd, occasionally engaging but often cacophonous mishmash.

A clunky-if-earnest comedy about a literal band of misfits led by a singer who never takes off his mascot-size headgear. Ever.

So sobering an example of why crime doesn't pay that it could be shown to petty drug thugs to scare them straight.

It’s an ambitious move, trying to recreate a comedy style so iconic and specific. The cast all commit to the bit with 435% silliness, the old deadpan humor is still there and when the right jokes hit, they’ll leave you in literal tears, even if overall this update doesn’t arrest you as much as it tries hard to make you laugh for 85 minutes straight. (And some folks totally will.)

The result may prove to be too much for even cult horror nuts. This complete 121-minute "director's cut" is tough to follow, so you can see why home viewers were mystified by the early '80s Vestron tape that cut nearly 40 minutes out of the movie and scrambled the order of scenes. [2 June 2000, p.10E]

A horror movie that follows none of the predictable paths of the genre, it offers disturbing psychological drama and nuanced chills rather than outright terror.

Secret isn't the usual romp, but it's Almodovar's most committed work in years. [7 Mar 1996]

Even at its best, Ride never survives its shaky opening hook.