42
Metascore
16 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 65The Globe and Mail (Toronto)Rick GroenThe Globe and Mail (Toronto)Rick GroenRenegades is not just another silly action flick; it's a well-made silly action flick, a superior brand of cotton candy. If you have a taste for the stuff, this should go down just fine. [02 Jun 1989]
- 63Boston GlobeJay CarrBoston GlobeJay CarrThere's talent on view in Renegades, even if it's mostly subordinated to formula and marketing imperatives. [02 Jun 1989, p.33]
- 60The New York TimesCaryn JamesThe New York TimesCaryn JamesWith a little more wit and a little less blood, Renegades could have been Lethal Weapon Jr. It is a fast, violent, implausible film about mismatched partners, and though it doesn't exactly break the bounds of its trashy genre, it's not at all bad for what it is.
- 50Time OutTime OutSholder's robust staging of the car chases, punch-ups and shootouts recalls the kinetic energy of his earlier The Hidden. His handling of the quieter familial and buddy-buddy relationships, on the other hand, is hopelessly leaden, serving only to stop the action-packed narrative in its tracks.
- Director Jack Sholder is a whiz at coordinating the traffic in the many catch-me-if-you-can-or-explode sequences, which provide a visceral thrill to appeal to the six year old in everyone, but which must be balanced against the lame story, offensive ethnic stereotypes, and perfunctory acting.
- 40Washington PostHal HinsonWashington PostHal HinsonIt's a package, plain and simple: stars plus a high-concept premise, stripped down, no options. No personality, either.
- 40EmpireKim NewmanEmpireKim NewmanThere is a great deal of action in Renegades, yet it still manages to be a faintly boring film.
- 40Rolling StonePeter TraversRolling StonePeter TraversOnce again, it’s the script (by newcomer David Rich) that shoots the picture’s promise all to hell.
- 20Los Angeles TimesKevin ThomasLos Angeles TimesKevin ThomasRenegades, a shamelessly contrived, ultraviolent macho fantasy, stars Kiefer Sutherland and Lou Diamond Phillips, who are too talented and too successful to be wasting themselves on such trash.