Knife Fight (2013)
Average Rating: 4.4/10
Reviews Counted: 18
Fresh: 5 | Rotten: 13
No consensus yet.
Average Rating: 4/10
Critic Reviews: 10
Fresh: 2 | Rotten: 8
No consensus yet.
liked it
Average Rating: 3.1/5
User Ratings: 151
My Rating
Movie Info
If a political candidate is personally flawed, but stands to make a positive difference in millions of lives, would you help him win? That question looms over the life of "true believer" Paul Turner (Rob Lowe), a savvy strategist sharply maneuvering politicians out of scandal and into public office. With the help of a bright young assistant (Jamie Chung) and a seedy operative (Richard Schiff), Turner spins every news cycle and a shrewd reporter (Julie Bowen) on behalf of his clients: a
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All Critics (18) | Top Critics (10) | Fresh (5) | Rotten (13)
Lowe's Paul is slimy, but, lo and behold, we are supposed to believe that he smells like a rose. He really wants to make the world a better place. His sentiments may be genuine but they come across as a con.
Top CriticMeanders aimlessly around too-familiar territory.
An improbable fantasy in which the people who make political advertising emerge as chisel-jawed heroes of democracy.
Whether playing it sleazy or noble, Mr. Lowe brings little emotional weight to his role.
[An] underwhelming, would-be political satire.
Soulless and two-dimensional, Knife Fight is a black hole of disillusion and spin.
A fun, tack-sharp political drama with satirical underpinnings, buoyed by crisp characterizations.
It could have been an incisive counterpoint to a film like "The Ides of March." Instead, it's a forgettable series of bullet points barely strung together by charismatic performances.
For all the knowing monologues mentioning tax breaks for the rich and diet drinks for the poor, Knife Fight feels squeaky-clean -- a remedial spin class that tells more than it shows.
Smart, brisk political satire, so smoothly done and performed that it overrides certain weaknesses and a climactic sentimental face change.
Another clichéd story of a cynic who gets in touch with his inner idealist..Movies like this give political satire a bad name.
A mixed bag, offering a few winning performances and moments of revelation, while the rest scatters aimlessly, in search of structure director Bill Guttentag doesn't provide.
Bill Guttentag exaggerates the absurd lengths advisors go to win an election and yet ultimately aggrandizes their behavior.
Cynical and savvy, it's a small film with a big message about the ends justifying the means.
Audience Reviews for Knife Fight
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January 24, 2013:
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Foreign Titles
- Knife Fight (DE)
- Knife Fight (UK)
