A movie that's beautifully acted, with an eye for drab period detail.
Comment
09/30/05
Rate this Movie 
Oliver Twist (2005)
59
%
Tomatometer
How does the Tomatometer work
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... [More]
Starring: Ben Kingsley, Jamie Foreman, Harry Eden, Leanne Rowe
Director: Roman Polanski
Get This Movie
Reviews for Oliver Twist
Enjoyable but not remarkable filmmaking.
09/30/05
With tact and enthusiasm, Roman Polanski grabs hold of a great book and rediscovers its true and enduring vitality.
09/22/05
Top CriticNitpickers may squawk over missing elements, but the film doggedly hits on the book's big themes: the power of innocence, the cruelty of class.
09/30/05
...respectful without being slavish, nice to look at without ever being breathtaking, well cast and acted without ever deeply engaging our emotions.
12/15/05
“Oliver Twist” deserves to be recognized as one of the director’s better films.
10/20/05
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.
08/02/07
Polanski does what he can with source material that is larger than life.
10/04/05
Polanski and company have proven that, once again, great stories never go out of style.
09/29/05
Perhaps it will take a school trip to encourage kids to see Oliver Twist, but that's one permission slip parents should sign.
09/29/05
Top CriticThe strength of the Polanski film is its lack of sentimentality. He creates a cold, cruel world where an orphan boy, because of his station in life, has no future.
10/04/05
Polanski presents a good but not great rendering of Dickens' oft-filmed second novel.
10/02/05
It’s mannered at times, as you might expect... but the surprising thing about Oliver Twist is how deeply it resonates.
09/23/05
You can look at it all and marvel, or recoil in horror at the barbaric exploitation of women and children. But the film remains an arm's length experience.
09/23/05
Seeing Polanski's version of this most Dickensian of all Charles Dickens' tales, I felt full and wanted no more versions (please, sir!), having now seen the definitive one.
09/29/05
Top CriticThat Polanski chose this as the movie he wanted to make for his own children feels motivated by more than a septuagenarian dad's desire to take a $60-million stab at a bedtime story. It feels inspired by a need to tell them who he is.
09/22/05
Top CriticEngaging, handsomely photographed and beautifully acted, Polanski's Oliver Twist, adapted by Pianist screenwriter Ronald Harwood, distinguishes itself from most versions in its decidedly dark tone.
09/30/05
Poignant and primal, Roman Polanski's splendid adaptation of the Charles Dickens classic pricks the heart and the conscience.
09/30/05
Top CriticRoman Polanski's new version finds the humor in Dickens' story without glossing over the essential point that a society must be judged inhumane if its treatment of its most unfortunate members is not humane.
09/29/05
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.
02/03/06
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...
RT On Current TV
What’s Hot On RT
Fresh Links
Featured
Wes Anderson on Fox 
The director talks about puppetry perfection and his film, Fantastic Mr. Fox
Animated Oscar?
Hollywood.com ponders whether or not an animated film could win Best Picture.
TIME's Holiday Movie Preview
Richard Corliss previews the season's best offerings and hottest tickets.
Scenic Routes
The AV Club's Mike D'Angelo airs his beefs with Alfonso Cuaron's Children of Men.
Promos
Follow RT on Twitter
Get the latest Tomatometer updates on upcoming movies!
IGN RSS Feeds