61
Metascore
26 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 80The New York TimesStephen HoldenThe New York TimesStephen HoldenSparked by the actors' powerful performances, Arnold's moral absolutism and Furtwängler's lofty aestheticism make for a dramatically compelling clash.
- 75Christian Science MonitorDavid SterrittChristian Science MonitorDavid SterrittRonald Harwood's screenplay, based on his stage play, brings an impressive range of moral and political issues into play. The acting is also strong.
- 70The New YorkerAnthony LaneThe New YorkerAnthony LaneThe deep drawback of Taking Sides is that it forgets to be interested in music. [8 September 2003, p. 100]
- 70VarietyDerek ElleyVarietyDerek ElleyIts soul rests in Skarsgard's performance, a powerful mixture of buttoned-down anger and personal disappointment that combines the filmmaker's self-questioning with the real-life character's conflict.
- 63New York Daily NewsElizabeth WeitzmanNew York Daily NewsElizabeth WeitzmanCharacters do little more than run around the same track incessantly, leaving us waiting for revelations that never arrive.
- 63New York PostMegan LehmannNew York PostMegan LehmannA compelling look at a vexa tious question, Taking Sides is, at times, hamstrung by its own ambiguity.
- 60New York Magazine (Vulture)Peter RainerNew York Magazine (Vulture)Peter RainerTaking Sides has a padded-out, stagebound quality that is anything but lyrical. And Szabó, a Hungarian best known for "Mephisto" and "Colonel Redl," is not at his best here.
- 60Village VoiceLeslie CamhiVillage VoiceLeslie CamhiFlawed but fascinating.
- 50The A.V. ClubNoel MurrayThe A.V. ClubNoel MurrayTaking Sides is really no less simplistic than "Sunshine," but its predecessor succeeded because of its length and scope. Taking Sides stays rooted in one place and one discussion, and never gets anywhere.
- 42Entertainment WeeklyLisa SchwarzbaumEntertainment WeeklyLisa SchwarzbaumThe sides to consider in Taking Sides are all but obscured by cinematic pomposity at best, Holocaust porn at worst.