35
Metascore
7 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 75New York PostV.A. MusettoNew York PostV.A. MusettoIt’s doubtful that Scorsese will redo this new Lau thriller, which is OK because the Chinese original is all fans need.
- 50The A.V. ClubIgnatiy VishnevetskyThe A.V. ClubIgnatiy VishnevetskyThe Guillotines expends most of its energy in its first 30 minutes, leaving the audience with roughly 90 minutes of soapy Qing Dynasty fan fiction.
- 40The New York TimesManohla DargisThe New York TimesManohla DargisThe incrementally served up pieces never satisfactorily cohere. The blades fly as do the heads, but the movie remains disappointingly aground.
- 38Slant MagazineRob HumanickSlant MagazineRob HumanickDespite the multitude of cinematic tricks the prolific Andrew Lau has up his sleeve, the film is a disappointingly rote entry in the wuxia pantheon.
- 30Village VoiceNick SchagerVillage VoiceNick SchagerA corny saga of social and generational conflict, it's ultimately yet another Chinese period epic that functions as a thinly veiled treatise on the nobility of socialist equality.
- 30Los Angeles TimesRobert AbeleLos Angeles TimesRobert AbeleAn action fan could be forgiven for the medicinal taste that this slick but dissipating exercise leaves behind.
- 20Time OutJoshua RothkopfTime OutJoshua RothkopfAll the solemnity is deadly: Not one of these superhuman gang members registers in memory, and you feel stiffed on gory giggles. Talk about having your chain yanked.