77
Metascore
31 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 100Slant MagazineChris CabinSlant MagazineChris CabinAs depicted by Jia Zhang-ke, the balance between the spoils and moral rot of murder are far preferable to the debasing rigors of tradition and hollow nationalism.
- 91The A.V. ClubA.A. DowdThe A.V. ClubA.A. DowdThe bloodshed is fast and brutal — the flash of a knife, a splash of crimson in a backseat, an opening robbery gone horrifically awry. There’s even a little Tarantino in the staging, as when a blood-splattered wallflower unleashes her Kill Bill-style vengeance straight into the camera lens.
- 90Film.comCalum MarshFilm.comCalum MarshPart of what’s so invigorating about A Touch of Sin is its refusal to betray the depth of its intellectual ambition, deferring when needed to generic convention and relishing the entertainment which follows.
- 80The TelegraphRobbie CollinThe TelegraphRobbie Collin[A] stately and ambitious ensemble drama.
- 80Time OutKeith UhlichTime OutKeith UhlichThere’s a sense that all the thematic messiness is intentional, a way for Jia to diagnose the ills of a country whose economic and social fabric is wilting under the effects of rapid modernization.
- 80Village VoiceStephanie ZacharekVillage VoiceStephanie ZacharekIn A Touch of Sin, Jia is attuned to, and saddened by, the violence he sees creeping through his country, caused at least partly by the ever-widening disparity between rich and poor. He ends on a note that's more haunting than hopeful.
- 60VarietyJustin ChangVarietyJustin ChangThere’s a certain pleasure to be had in seeing a revered auteur go off the disreputable deep end, and there’s no denying A Touch of Sin packs a visceral wallop.
- 50The PlaylistJessica KiangThe PlaylistJessica KiangThe people of Jia’s film are mysterious, their reactions and motivations, outside of that first segment in which we get the best-drawn and therefore most anomalous character, are all but unknowable.
- 40Time Out LondonGuy LodgeTime Out LondonGuy LodgeIf the final effect is somewhat less nuanced than his previous work, it's a good deal more vigorous.
- 40The Hollywood ReporterDavid RooneyThe Hollywood ReporterDavid RooneyTonal inconsistency, lethargic pacing and a shortage of fresh insight dilute the storytelling efficacy of this quartet of loosely interconnected episodes involving ordinary people pushed over the edge.