
A Touch of Sin
2013, Drama, 2h 9m
88 Reviews 2,500+ RatingsWhat to know
critics consensus
Its screenplay isn't as graceful as the choreography of its action sequences, but A Touch of Sin offers enough stylishly satisfying violence to muscle past its rough spots. Read critic reviews
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Critic Reviews for A Touch of Sin
All Critics (88) | Top Critics (38) | Fresh (83) | Rotten (5)
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It's that quality of directness, of purpose -- here particularly fierce purpose -- that gives Jia's plays with fiction and nonfiction both their vigour and their political perceptiveness and bite.
May 22, 2014 | Full Review… -
Beyond the spattered blood and broken bones, Jia's usual levels of compassion and social analysis are maintained.
May 22, 2014 | Full Review… -
Teases together four disparate stories of people driven to violence by the purgatorial pain of their modern existence.
May 18, 2014 | Rating: 4/5 | Full Review… -
Jia Zhangke's brilliantly observed A Touch of Sin paints a bleak and violent picture of a contemporary China in which corruption is endemic.
May 16, 2014 | Rating: 4/5 | Full Review… -
Shocking. Stylish. Historic.
May 15, 2014 | Rating: 5/5 | Full Review… -
As an eastern western it's like The Searchers with missing GPS. The spectator wants guidance - but may not want it long enough to stay the journey.
May 15, 2014 | Rating: 2/5 | Full Review…
Audience Reviews for A Touch of Sin
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Dec 06, 2014A solid film that intertwines four compelling stories loosed based on real events about the senselessness of violence, aggression and brutality, as well as people's obsession with it - which, as the film suggests, makes us not so different from animals, only perhaps worse.Carlos M Super Reviewer
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May 09, 2014This films is certainly going to be more of an acquired taste than a lot of films, but I thought it was a damn good film about 4 vastly different people from different provinces driven to pretty violent acts. The film's violence is far more shocking since each character's story, prior to its climax, is quiet and naturalistic. So, in turn, I believe that makes the eventual violent climax that much more powerful and impacting. Because of that, I believe people who don't like it will point to the film's quiet parts and deliberate pace as part of its negatives. Not that I can blame them, as I don't think the story, which has plenty of social commentary about corruption and the effects of globalization on people of lower-to-middle class. I also think the quieter and deliberate pace helps paint a poetic picture of contemporary China, it all feels real. Granted, the film is inspired by true events, but Zhang Ke Jia's way of directing and writing helps add a little bit of realism to each character instead of it feeling like an exaggerated version of someone real. The violence itself is pretty graphic, particularly for someone like Ke Jia, whose known for his quiet and surreal views of contemporary China. But it doesn't feel gratuitous, it just feels like it's a natural culmination of each story you watch. These are people, at least 3 of them, that are pushed to their absolute limits before they finally decide to push back against those who, they feel, is wronging them. Again, it's certainly not a film that's gonna connect with everyone, some parts of the film didn't really click with me entirely to be honest, but I still found it a quietly compelling film.Jesse O Super Reviewer
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Jan 04, 2014'A Touch of Sin'. A cold, unnerving social critique across classes in China. The direction sets the tone damn well!c0up Super Reviewer
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Sep 03, 2013Strong stories overpower the more mediocre ones in telling the tale of those left out of China's booming economy. The reactions are violent and jarring but nonetheless noteworthyJohn B Super Reviewer
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