The Sunset Limited
HBO | Release Date: February 12, 2011
CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
67
METASCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 15 Critic Reviews
Positive:
9
Mixed:
6
Negative:
0

Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
100
San Francisco ChronicleDavid WiegandFeb 10, 2011
Season 1 Review: Well, subject matter doesn't get more profound than life and death, but, thanks to McCarthy's writing and the two veteran actors, we're completely drawn into the discussion, so much so that we're taken by surprise as McCarthy careful injects another possible interpretation of the play's set-up. Read full review
91
Entertainment WeeklyChristian BlauveltFeb 10, 2011
Season 1 Review: Tommy Lee Jones masterfully directs Cormac McCarthy's ferocious two-man play. Read full review
91
NewsdayVerne GayFeb 10, 2011
Season 1 Review: Grim, but a chance to see two magnificent actors at the peak of their powers. Read full review
88
USA TodayRobert BiancoFeb 10, 2011
Season 1 Review: There are times when the sheer force of Jones' personality undercuts his ability to be convincing as the voice of existential despair. But at the end, when he throws that force behind his final assault, his performance all makes sense. And it makes the final scenes, as Jackson's ebulliently portrayed confidence begins to crack, all the more shattering. Read full review
80
Washington PostHank StueverFeb 14, 2011
Season 1 Review: HBO's The Sunset Limited--faithfully adapted from Cormac McCarthy's 2006 play and directed by its co-star, Tommy Lee Jones--more than overcomes the challenge of getting a satisfying piece of theater to work on a TV screen. Read full review
80
New York Daily NewsDavid HinckleyFeb 10, 2011
Season 1 Review: Sunset Limited requires considerable engagement, an assignment made easier by the superb performances of Jackson and Jones. Their verbal sparring may not be a reason to live, but it's sure a good reason to watch this production. Read full review
75
San Jose Mercury News/Contra Costa TimesChuck BarneyFeb 10, 2011
Season 1 Review: Viewers turned off by the bitterly boisterous, superficial and often one-sided confrontations on the cable news channels might find The Sunset Limited to be refreshing in some ways. Read full review
70
Los Angeles TimesMary McNamaraFeb 14, 2011
Season 1 Review: "Thought-provoking" is an overused term in criticism, and one that can camouflage many sins. But here, for better and worse, is the real deal. Read full review
70
VarietyBrian LowryFeb 10, 2011
Season 1 Review: The exercise isn't entirely successful, but still proves eminently watchable, indeed almost hypnotic--something only HBO, frankly, would likely bring to the screen in such cerebral, uncompromising form. Read full review
50
New York PostLinda StasiFeb 14, 2011
Season 1 Review: Granted, the acting in this two-man play is brilliant, but the film itself is strictly for master thespians on the loose--and people who are desperate to get into restaurants that won't take their reservations. Read full review
50
Chicago Sun-TimesPaige WiserFeb 14, 2011
Season 1 Review: I imagine it is a challenging acting exercise and a fascinating debate. But like Jones' character, I just can't bring myself to care. Read full review
40
SalonMatt Zoller SeitzFeb 14, 2011
Season 1 Review: Everyone involved with this production obviously meant well--this TV movie doesn't have a cruel or ignorant moment--but good intentions aren't enough. Read full review
40
The New York TimesMike HaleFeb 11, 2011
Season 1 Review: The two actors do everything they can to make [it] a tolerable situation, but they can never entirely distract us from the fact that they're trapped in Mr. McCarthy's dorm-room argument masquerading as a drama. Read full review
40
TV Guide MagazineMatt RoushFeb 11, 2011
Season 1 Review: You say potato, I say dramatic arsenic. This actors' exercise is what it's like finding yourself trapped in a pretentious, self-important off-Broadway "experience," wishing you'd chosen to go to a movie or stay home with TV instead. Read full review
40
The Hollywood ReporterTim GoodmanFeb 10, 2011
Season 1 Review: All the early signs were right--this is an exercise in verbal gymnastics and no matter how famous the two leads are, it's difficult to embrace their characters, because they have that air of stagey self-importance, as if the goal was to be viewed from seats in the distance, not welcomed into your living room. Read full review
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