60
Metascore
9 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 90Chicago ReaderJonathan RosenbaumChicago ReaderJonathan RosenbaumStylistically captivating, subtly nuanced, and structurally unpredictable.
- 90Los Angeles TimesKevin ThomasLos Angeles TimesKevin ThomasSachs' ability to draw deeply affecting, completely open and unself-conscious performances from Chan and Gray and other nonprofessionals as well is most impressive and highly effective. Working with masterly New York cinematographer Benjamin P. Speth, Sachs has created in The Delta an achingly poignant portrait of alienation and longing so evocative that it is poetic in its impact. [15 Aug 1997, p.F4]
- 80Time OutTime OutSachs allowed his actors to develop situations and dialogue through improvisation, giving the film a meandering, naturalistic feel. When plot does assert itself, in the abrupt closing scenes, the effect is truly disconcerting.
- 75San Francisco ChroniclePeter StackSan Francisco ChroniclePeter StackThis moody film, set in muggy Memphis, exudes a dangerous veracity that's both exciting and poisonous.
- 50VarietyEmanuel LevyVarietyEmanuel LevySachs commits a major error by deciding to center on Lincoln’s character, for John is a far more interesting, complex and disturbing personality.
- 50The New York TimesStephen HoldenThe New York TimesStephen HoldenA film that's alternatingly intriguing and frustrating and that leaves too many loose ends dangling.
- 50Austin ChronicleRussell SmithAustin ChronicleRussell SmithOn a more basic level, I simply found it so hard to penetrate the two main characters' cauterized psyches that, in the end, I hardly gave a damn what happened to them.
- 50The A.V. ClubThe A.V. ClubWhile the structure of The Delta—sort of a tag-team narrative that begins with Gray and switches to Chan halfway through—is an intriguing touch, this gritty film never follows through on the issues it raises.
- 25New York Daily NewsJami BernardNew York Daily NewsJami BernardThe movie then becomes John's story, making an unbelievable leap of psychodrama to do so.