59
Metascore
9 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 75San Francisco ChronicleMick LaSalleSan Francisco ChronicleMick LaSalleBoth women are excellent, and they, as much as the movie's whodunit elements, hold the viewer until the finish.
- 70Village VoiceVillage VoiceMade for less than $500,000, Torn is proof that a little can go a long way. In fact, the microscale perfectly lends itself to the story's quiet revelations.
- 70The New York TimesJeannette CatsoulisThe New York TimesJeannette CatsoulisSlowly uncovering the prejudices that calamity can unleash, Michael Richter’s screenplay lays bare the damage wrought by Sept. 11 while deftly dodging hysteria, wondering how we differentiate between innocent teenage behaviors and dangerous red flags.
- 70The Hollywood ReporterFrank ScheckThe Hollywood ReporterFrank ScheckTorn approaches its incendiary topical issues with intelligent modesty.
- 60The DissolveAndrew LapinThe DissolveAndrew LapinTorn’s sometimes-stodgy dramatics give way to a genuinely unsettling microcosm of modern terrorism.
- 60Los Angeles TimesGary GoldsteinLos Angeles TimesGary GoldsteinThough Torn contains its share of convincingly lived-in moments, there's a heavy-handed quality to both Jeremiah Birnbaum's direction and the script by Michael Richter that often undermines the movie's potential to truly grip and move.
- 50VarietyDennis HarveyVarietyDennis HarveyPerformances and presentation are solid enough, but the pic feels a bit undernourished, particularly once it closes on a note that’s well intentioned but provides no real resolution.
- 50RogerEbert.comSusan WloszczynaRogerEbert.comSusan WloszczynaAs a piece of filmmaking, Torn is slightly above TV-movie quality.
- 50McClatchy-Tribune News ServiceRoger MooreMcClatchy-Tribune News ServiceRoger MooreThis culture-clash/mother bonding story was never going to be “Frozen River,” but you do sense that a lot of potential was squandered in denying these mothers big moments of mourning, bigger confrontations with the fathers of their sons.