Carnage
2011, Comedy/Drama, 1h 19m
198 Reviews 10,000+ RatingsWhat to know
It isn't as compelling on the screen as it was on the stage, but Carnage makes up for its flaws with Polanski's smooth direction and assured performances from Winslet and Foster. Read critic reviews
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Cast & Crew
Penelope Longstreet
Nancy Cowen
Alan Cowen
Michael Longstreet
Zachary Cowan
Ethan Longstreet
News & Interviews for Carnage
Critic Reviews for Carnage
All Critics (198) | Top Critics (75) | Fresh (138) | Rotten (60)
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Roman Polanski's major coup is not just in telling us such a universally resonant tale, but in gathering such a brilliant group of actors in a one space, and letting them loose at each other.
March 27, 2019 | Rating: 3.5/5 | Full Review… -
I'm not convinced it's particularly deep or insightful, but there is some enjoyment to be had from watching four actors at the top of their game get to where they do get to.
August 31, 2018 | Full Review… -
The acting marathon is adroitly blocked and paced by Polanski and impeccably shot by Pawel Edelman.
February 4, 2015 | Rating: 3/4 | Full Review… -
A veteran of stage-to-screen adaptations, the filmmaker in exile turns to Yasmina Reza's God of Carnage for his latest and shortest feature, but on this occasion, the translation harvests little from its perhaps meager source.
July 1, 2013 | Full Review… -
Given the powerhouse performers involved, this thing should have gone off like a powder keg, but [director Roman] Polanski apparently directed the film by text...A terrible film.
June 30, 2012 | Rating: 1/5 | Full Review… -
The characters' all-round unpleasantness, and the film's merciless mirth-making with their failings, keeps things buoyantly, bleakly funny.
February 7, 2012 | Full Review…
Audience Reviews for Carnage
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Jan 06, 2014Why can't they leave? From <i>El Ángel Exterminador</i> (1962), the answer has been implied. "It's absurd, but it's in their nature. They just can't!" Based on Yasmina Raza's play titled <i>Le Dieu du Carnage</i> (God of Carnage), Polanski adapts wonderfully and with a truly underrated array of great, though theatrical performances (especially Foster, who gets a lot of unfair criticism) a roller-coaster intellectual exercise of how your typical middle-class veil of politeness and mutual caring is broken down when either your ethical, social or moral standards are challenged by external factors that you cannot avoid because you were unwillingly involved in them since the very beginning. In this case, such factor is the son of a family hitting the son of the other. Catalogued in my book as one of the best "verbally gory" films, <i>Carnage</i> seems to carry some <i>Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf</i> (1966) parallelism of degradation, moral assault and lots of liquor, while two couples unrealistically, though justifiably theatrically, "word" each other to death, taking contradictory sides when the situation seems convenient and mirroring the impulses that they so much condemn in minors. After all, the immature impulses of adults are not that much different, now are they? Unfortunately, the adaptation to the big screen seems to drag along some unrealistic moments that seem to be placed in order for the plot to advance, e.g., the Cowans reaching the elevator twice and still not leaving because of secondary coffee invitations. Those moments could have been easily rewritten. Also, "realistically", any couple would have left after 15 or 20 minutes of arguing, so the script asks us to some suspension of disbelief and dig deeper into the original social criticisms and statements that the original material (the play) had instead of judging the film in terms of cinematic realism. Still, Polanski is still an expert in scenario construction and suspense escalation, not as masterfully as Hitchcock's single-location mysteries would manage, but more or less as interestingly as Polanski did in the 60s. 79/100Edgar C Super Reviewer
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Apr 12, 2013Too unsubstantial to be a great movie. Pretty much two couples in one room arguing about a physical fight their sons got into. I believe it is adapted from a play. As such it feels unnatural and strained that they all stay in the room, annoyed as they are at each other. Performances are good. I'm not a parent, so the topic was not overly exciting to me. Maybe others would get more out of it.Nicki M Super Reviewer
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Jan 06, 2013I did not know that this story was a play until right before watching this film. With that knowledge I enjoyed this much more. The performances were good and it felt as though I was watching a play. The apartment serves as the stage as it does not move or change. I thought the concept was well put together with Polanski behind the camera.Chris C Super Reviewer
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Dec 25, 2012It's an atypical theatrical adaptation which works thanks to a top cast.Marcus W Super Reviewer
Carnage Quotes
| Nancy Cowan: | Look at him all hunched over like he was left on the side of the road. |
| Alan Cowan: | Keep on stroking your own ego. It's beautiful. |
| Michael Longstreet: | Penelope, what happened to your sense of humor? |
| Penelope Longstreet: | I don't have a sense of humor, and I don't want one! |
| Nancy Cowan: | How can you let her call our son a criminal? We come over here to work things out with them and they, they insult us, they browbeat us, they lecture us about being good citizens of the planet! I am glad our son kicked the shit out of your son and I wipe my ass with your human rights! |
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