78
Metascore
15 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 90The Hollywood ReporterDavid RooneyThe Hollywood ReporterDavid RooneyLed by an almost unrecognizable Simon Baker as a jaded cop, Limbo weaves in themes of racial inequity, broken individuals and fractured families to build quiet potency.
- 88RogerEbert.comGlenn KennyRogerEbert.comGlenn KennyLimbo is entirely engrossing as it brings its discomfiting points home.
- 80The GuardianPeter BradshawThe GuardianPeter BradshawIt is a tough, muscular film with the grit of crime, but a heartbeat of compassion.
- 80The GuardianLuke BuckmasterThe GuardianLuke BuckmasterThe cast, in weather-beaten and woebegone mode, are uniformly excellent, directed by Sen in beautiful unison, their performances different notes in the same melody.
- 75Slant MagazineWilliam RepassSlant MagazineWilliam RepassThe cinematography solidifies the film’s status as a noir grappling with corruption and probing moral grey areas, while at the same time echoing visually the stark divisions between white and Indigenous people in Australian society.
- 70The New York TimesElisabeth VincentelliThe New York TimesElisabeth VincentelliSen, who also handled both the black-and-white cinematography and the editing, has a terrific eye for shot composition and sets a deliberate pace that feels implacable rather than merely slow.
- 63Movie NationRoger MooreMovie NationRoger MooreI was wholly taken in by the forlorn setting and by the racism subtext in play here. But too little happens in “Limbo” for my taste, and there’s a fine line between “patient” storytelling and a film so slack in its pacing as to lower the stakes and test the viewer’s patience.
- 50ColliderMarco Vito OddoColliderMarco Vito OddoIf viewers manage to sync with this specific wavelength, they will definitely enjoy Sen’s methodical noir deconstruction. Still, it might be asking too much from the audience, especially where there’s so little payoff to be found in this corner of the Australian outback.