58
Metascore
6 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 80Los Angeles TimesLos Angeles TimesThis is one of those rare birds: a well-done biopic that does justice to its famous subject. [11 Mar 1994, p.F24]
- 75TV Guide MagazineTV Guide MagazineCagney is riveting as Chaney (who died in 1930 at the age of 47), enacting the many great roles the silent star made famous in startling cameo performances.
- 70The New York TimesBosley CrowtherThe New York TimesBosley CrowtherThanks to a dandy performance by James Cagney in the role of the great silent-film star, Lon Chaney, there is drama and personality in Man of a Thousand Faces.
- 50Chicago ReaderDave KehrChicago ReaderDave KehrJames Cagney gives it all his drive and speediness, but this plodding, straight-line 1957 biography of Lon Chaney Sr. never comes close to capturing the actor's obsessiveness or offering any insights as to how he made his personal pain and humiliation accessible and meaningful to a mass audience.
- 40The New YorkerPauline KaelThe New YorkerPauline KaelThe script and conception are so maudlin and degrading that Cagney's high dedication becomes somewhat oppressive.