RottenTomatoes.com
Log In | Register | What is RT?
Check out the new RT Community
  • Home
  • Movies
  • DVD
  • Celebrities
  • News
  • Critics
  • Trailers & Pictures
  • CommunityBeta
  • Box Office
  • | In Theaters
  • | Opening
  • | Upcoming
  • | Best Of
  • | Certified Fresh
  • | Showtimes
RT Search Powered by Google
help icon Enhanced RT
searches on Google
Click here to turn on enhanced search results from RT on your Google searches.
 
Movies / On DVD / Oliver Twist
Oliver Twist

Rate this Movie Help Icon

  • Write a Review
  • Read Reviews
  • Add to List
  • Get this Movie
  • Buy Poster External Icon
  • Visit Official Site External Icon
Bookmark and Share

Oliver Twist (2005)

  • T-Meter Critics
  • Top Critics
  • RT Community
  • My Critics
  • My Friends
  • DVD
59 %
Tomatometer
Template ImageTemplate Image

How does the Tomatometer work Help Icon

Reviews Counted:133

Fresh:78

Rotten:55

Average Rating:6.3/10

Consensus: Polanski's version of Dickens' classic won't have audiences asking for more because while polished and directed with skill, the movie's a very impersonal experience.

Runtime: 2 hrs 5 mins

Genre: Dramas

Theatrical Release:Sep 23, 2005 Limited

Box Office: $1,987,287

Synopsis: Acclaimed director Roman Polanski turns a dark eye toward the classic Charles Dickens novel OLIVER TWIST, about a charming orphan boy (Barney Clark) whose life seems to depend solely on the whims... Acclaimed director Roman Polanski turns a dark eye toward the classic Charles Dickens novel OLIVER TWIST, about a charming orphan boy (Barney Clark) whose life seems to depend solely on the whims of fate. Abandoned early in life, Oliver first seems doomed to life in a workhouse, where he is farmed out to a local undertaker where he regularly is underfed and mistreated. Hoping to improve his lot in life, Oliver runs away to London, where he falls in with a gang of petty criminals led by the fence Fagin (Ben Kingsley) and the young pickpocket the Artful Dodger (Harry Eden). His new situation seems like relief, until he meets Mr. Brownlow (Edward Hardwicke), who sees Oliver's true character and potential and seems determined to sway destiny. Despite his innocent performance, eleven-year old Barney Clark was already a seasoned professional when Polanski recruited him to play Oliver, including studies at the Anna Scher Theatre and performances in the film THE LAWLESS HEART and British television dramas FOYLE'S WAR and THE BRIEF. Also of note is the moving score by award-winning composer Rachel Portman, which brings to life the gritty life of Victorian London. Polanski can now add OLIVER TWIST to his array of classic films, including THE PIANIST and CHINATOWN, which forever will shape cinematic vision. [More]

Starring: Ben Kingsley, Jamie Foreman, Harry Eden, Leanne Rowe

Starring: Ben Kingsley, Jamie Foreman, Harry Eden, Leanne Rowe, Barney Clark, Edward Hardwicke, Mark Strong, Ian McNeice

Director: Roman Polanski

Director: Roman Polanski
Screenwriter: Ronald Harwood
Producer: Robert Benmussa, Alain Sarde
Composer: Rachel Portman
Studio: Sony Pictures Entertainment

[See More Credits]

  • Trailers
  • Pictures
  • Oliver Twist Trailer
    >
1 of 1

See More Movie Trailers & Pictures

Get This Movie

Rent DVD
 
 

Click on the "ADD" button to put this movie into your Netflix queue.

 
 
Buy DVD
 
 
Release:

Jan 24, 2006

No Details Exist
 
 

Reviews for Oliver Twist

  • T-Meter Critics
  • Top Critics
  • RT Community
  • My Critics
  • My Friends
  • DVD
 
 
1 - 20 (sorted by date)
Text View | 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 >> >|
Arrange By:Fresh | Rotten | Comments | Name | Source | Date
 
 

The horrors are comfily buttressed by storybook polish

Full Review Source: CinePassion | comment Comment
09/01/09
Fernando F. Croce
Fernando F. Croce
CinePassion

Polanski has crafted something that already feels like a classic film, beautiful to look at, combining accurate period detail with a certain gothic expressionism and brimming with earthy characters and high drama.

Full Review Source: Eye for Film | comment Comment
08/02/07
Anton Bitel
Anton Bitel
Eye for Film

The unspoken sense of youthful post-traumatic holocaust syndrome shock and awe in Polanski's Twist is as palpable as the murky stench and appalling human misery of Dickens' chaotic London streets.

Full Review Source: WBAI Web Radio | comment Comment
02/08/07
Prairie Miller
Prairie Miller
WBAI Web Radio

Polanski's film is not a bad adaptation, and it may be a fine way to introduce children to the classic story. But it is not exactly a definitive version of that story.

Full Review Source: Christianity Today | comment Comment
09/27/06
Peter T. Chattaway
Peter T. Chattaway
Christianity Today
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Sydney Morning Herald | comment Comment
06/24/06
Sydney Morning Herald

Probably the thing that Polanski's Oliver Twist does best, is deliver the mood of the day

Full Review Source: Urban Cinefile | comment Comment
06/15/06
Urban Cinefile Critics
Urban Cinefile Critics
Urban Cinefile

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Sacramento News & Review | comment Comment
05/12/06
Jim Lane
Jim Lane
Sacramento News & Review

With intelligence and style (inspired by the art of Gustave Doré and Francisco Solé), Polanski makes a rewarding contribution to Dickens' legacy on screen.

Full Review Source: Groucho Reviews | comment Comment
02/26/06
Peter Canavese
Peter Canavese
Groucho Reviews

The movie understands what Polanski himself knew upon surviving the Holocaust--you take your kindness where you can find it, weighing its price along the way.

Full Review Source: Bangor Daily News (Maine) | comment Comment
02/03/06
Christopher Smith
Christopher Smith
Bangor Daily News (Maine)

It just might supplant David Lean's 1948 version as the one that students turn to for a 2-hour study guide.

Full Review Source: DVDTalk.com | comment Comment
01/15/06
Scott Weinberg
Scott Weinberg
DVDTalk.com

A severely overlooked, exceedingly well-done version of an oft-told tale...One of the best films of 2005.

Full Review Source: Fantastica Daily | comment Comment
12/28/05
Chuck O'Leary
Chuck O'Leary
Fantastica Daily

[T]he maddening thing is not just that we hardly need another movie adaptation of [Oliver Twist] ... but that there are other Dickens books that haven't been given the major movie treatment that would better suit Polanski's temperament.

Full Review Source: Blogcritics.org | comment Comment
12/26/05
Alan Dale
Alan Dale
Blogcritics.org

...respectful without being slavish, nice to look at without ever being breathtaking, well cast and acted without ever deeply engaging our emotions.

Full Review Source: Los Angeles CityBeat | comment Comment
12/15/05
Andy Klein
Andy Klein
Los Angeles CityBeat
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: NYC Film Critic | comment Comment
12/06/05
Ethan Alter
Ethan Alter
NYC Film Critic

Falha ao jamais encontrar um tom adequado para sua narrativa: em certos momentos, é excessivamente infantil; em outros, sombrio demais.

Full Review Source: Cinema em Cena | comment Comment
11/21/05
Pablo Villaca
Pablo Villaca
Cinema em Cena

It’s an impeccable production on a visual level and undeniably a well-made film, but the narrative often lacks the spark to bring it to life.

Full Review Source: Reel Times: Reflections on Cinema | comment 1 Comment
10/26/05
Mark Pfeiffer
Mark Pfeiffer
Reel Times: Reflections on Cinema

“Oliver Twist” deserves to be recognized as one of the director’s better films.

Full Review Source: Sympatico.ca | comment Comment
10/20/05
Angela Baldassarre
Angela Baldassarre
Sympatico.ca

(Roman) Polanski orchestrates this well-worn chestnut with the same high level of expertise that won him an Oscar for The Pianist in 2002.

Full Review Source: San Antonio Express-News | comment Comment
10/17/05
Larry Ratliff
Larry Ratliff
San Antonio Express-News

Polanski's deft adaptation proves that there's still life in that well-worn story of a boy who beats the odds.

Full Review Source: Austin Chronicle | comment Comment
10/15/05
Steve Davis
Steve Davis
Austin Chronicle

Polanski tactfully stays out of Charles Dickens’ way.

Full Review Source: Northwest Herald (Crystal Lake, IL) | comment Comment
10/13/05
Jeffrey Westhoff
Jeffrey Westhoff
Northwest Herald (Crystal Lake, IL)
 
 
1 - 20 (sorted by date)
Text View | 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 >> >|
all

Latest News for Oliver Twist

October 27, 2006: Polanski's Role in "Rush Hour 3"
Wondering how/why filmmaker Roman Polanski would be appearing in next summer's "Rush Hour 3"? I'll admit I was a little curious, so here's a little scoop: He's playing... More...

February 17, 2006: Newell & Bardem Come Down with "Cholera"
International acting stud Javier Bardem and well-rounded movie director Mike Newell are about to bring the Pulitzer Prize-winning "Love in the Time of Cholera" to the... More...

September 29, 2005: Critical Consensus: "Blue" Sinks, "Violence" Kills, "Serenity" Soars
This week at the movies, we have sexy divers ("Into the Blue"), secretive family men ("A History of Violence"), space renegades ("Serenity"),... More...

See All

More DVDs

Close
Top Rentals
Tomatometer Percentage Movie
15% 15% The Ugly Truth
98% 98% Up
36% 36% G.I. Joe: The Rise of …
52% 52% The Taking of Pelham 1…
45% 45% Ice Age: Dawn of the D…

More Rentals…

New On DVD This Week
Tomatometer Percentage Movie
36% 36% Angels & Demons
68% 68% Funny People
25% 25% Four Christmases
45% 45% Shorts

More New Releases…

See All

RT On Current TV

The Rotten Tomatoes Show on Current TV

DIRECTV 358 | Comcast 107 | DISH Network 196 | More...

Learn how you can be part of the show

More...

What’s Hot On RT

Total Recall

Total Recall

John Travolta's top reviewed movies

Disney Countdown

Disney Countdown

Look back on Disney's best animated movies!

RT's Gift Guide

RT's Gift Guide

Give the best movies, gear, and more!

Ninja Assassin

Ninja Assassin

Learn to train like a ninja in this clip!

Other News

Close
  • Top Stories
  • Popular
  • Interviews
 
 

Comments

 
 
Top Stories
Headlines Comments
  
  • Natalie Portman Says Kat Denning Is in Thor Source: MTV
32
  • Disney Restructuring Has Broad Implications Source: Los Angeles Times
10
  • Joel Silver Talks Ninja Assassin, Sgt. Rock, Lobo, and More Source: Collider.com
1
  • Weekly Ketchup: Idris Elba cast in Thor, more Spider-Man 4 rumors
114
  • Idris Elba Joins Thor Source: Hollywood Reporter
112
  • Jackass 3D Coming in 2010? Source: Collider.com
32
  • 6 Reasons 'Twilight' Is Doomed Source: The Wrap
64
  • Forbes Names Hollywood's Most Overpaid Actors Source: Forbes
20
  • Chris Weitz Says He's (Almost) Done with Directing Source: Film School Rejects
26
  • Spider-Man 4 Casting Rumors Multiply Like Rabbits Source: Deadline Hollywood Daily
51
Popular
Headlines Comments
  
  • Box Office Guru Wrapup: New Moon Shatters Records
171
  • Critics Consensus: New Moon Wanes
129
  • Tomatometer Watch: Will Twilight's New Moon Dazzle?
97
  • Total Recall: Star-Crossed Lovers
75
  • Total Recall: John Travolta's Best Movies
69
  • Weekly Ketchup: Idris Elba cast in Thor, more Spider-Man 4 rumors
57
  • Friday Harvest: New Moon, Avatar, and more!
32
  • RT on DVD & Blu-Ray: Angels & Demons, Funny People, and Superman
18
  • Critics Consensus: Flee From Ninja Assassin
13
  • WB offers DVD to Blu-ray Trade-In Program
12
Interviews
Headlines Comments
  
  • "I Don't Hate Women": Lars von Trier on Antichrist
10
  • Eric Bana talks Love the Beast - RT Interview
8
  • Fight Club Sound Designer Reflects on Film's 10th Anniversary
19
  • James Schamus talks Taking Woodstock - RT Interview
6
  • John Hurt Talks Harry Potter, Quentin Crisp and Alien - The RT Interview
15
  • Terry Gilliam Talks Doctor Parnassus
19
  • Wes Anderson Talks Fantastic Mr. Fox - RT Interview
8
  • Wolverine Creator Len Wein Talks About the Film
28
  • Gavin Hood Talks Wolverine; Possible Sequel
28
  • Duncan Jones talks Moon, Sam Rockwell, and Mute
14
 
 

Sponsored Links

Around The Network

  • Oliver Twist at Rotten Tomatoes
  • Oliver Twist at IGN
  • Oliver Twist at AskMen

Fresh Links

Featured
Wes Anderson on Fox
Wes Anderson on Fox External Link

The director talks about puppetry perfection and his film, Fantastic Mr. Fox

The New Cult Canon
The New Cult Canon External Link

AV Club looks at a beloved cult classic, Sam Raimi's Army of Darkness.

New Moon Portraits
New Moon Portraits External Link

TIME offers us a closer look at the characters from the latest Twilight film.

Unsexiest Men Alive
Unsexiest Men Alive External Link

Moviefone lists their choices for the least attractive men in Hollywood.

Promos
Follow RT on Twitter
Follow RT on Twitter External Link

Get the latest Tomatometer updates on upcoming movies!

 
 
About| Site Map| Help| RT To Go| Contact Us| Critics Submission| Linking to RT| Licensing| Movie List| Games| Celebs List| Newsletter
IGN Logo

IGN.com | GameSpy | Comrade | Arena | FilePlanet | GameSpy Technology
TeamXbox | Planets | Vaults | VE3D | CheatsCodesGuides | GameStats | GamerMetrics
AskMen.com | Rotten Tomatoes | Direct2Drive | Green Pixels


By continuing past this page, and by the continued use of this site, you agree to be bound by and abide by the User Agreement.
Copyright 1998-2009, IGN Entertainment, Inc. About IGN | Support | Advertise | Privacy Policy | User Agreement | Subscribe to RT's XML feed! IGN RSS Feeds
IGN's enterprise databases running Oracle, SQL and MySQL are professionally monitored and managed by Pythian Remote DBA
Certain product data ©1995-present Muze, Inc. For personal use only. All rights reserved.