Son of a Gun Reviews

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David Nusair
Reel Film Reviews
August 18, 2019
Filmmaker Julius Avery delivers an exceedingly erratic narrative that's at its best in a surprisingly captivating first half...
Full Review | Original Score: 2.5/4
Nicholas Bell
IONCINEMA.com
July 18, 2019
Nearly every narrative twist and character tic feels lifted from another film, so much so that one would readily believe this to be a direct remake of something.
Full Review | Original Score: 2.5/5
Tom Bond
One Room With A View
May 31, 2019
The one saving grace is that although hilariously clichéd, Son of a Gun is also an entertaining and visceral thriller - though not always on purpose.
Full Review | Original Score: 2/5
Toni Vall
Cinemanía (Spain)
May 3, 2019
Simply a story of love and friendship. Both intertwined, both powerful. [Full review in Spanish]
Full Review | Original Score: 3/5
Paula Fleri-Soler
Times of Malta
April 18, 2019
It's not a setup we haven't seen before, yet Son of a Gun trots along at an effective pace, resulting in what is simply a good old-fashioned crime drama.
Full Review
Helen Murdoch
Flickering Myth
April 12, 2019
Son of a Gun is an impressive debut from Avery and it shows that Australian cinema is on the rise once again.
Full Review | Original Score: 4/5
Sarah Ward
Concrete Playground
April 12, 2019
Son of a Gun may be another gritty Australian crime offering, but it is also an enthusiastic, expressive and engrossing example of its genre.
Full Review
Chris Knight
National Post
April 11, 2019
J.R. is a fascinating character, quiet and watchful, but equally interesting is McGregor as Brendan.
Full Review | Original Score: 3/4
Donald Clarke
Irish Times
April 11, 2019
Vikander has barely a wisp of fictional personality to exploit. Still, the action is skilfully staged, there is a rough fug to the cinematography, and the double crosses are cunningly finessed.
Full Review | Original Score: 3/5
John Bleasdale
CineVue
April 4, 2019
There are some dumb thrills to be had but there is also the sense here of an ambition not quite realised.
Full Review | Original Score: 2/5
Sarah Manvel
Critic's Notebook
August 10, 2018
It has one of the most inventive settings for a robbery in cinema history. And somehow - somehow - the movie blows it.
Full Review
Joe Bendel
Epoch Times
May 22, 2016
Son is a pretty entertaining little shoot 'em up, almost entirely thanks to McGregor. Grizzled but wiry, he has the presence of a coiled spring, ready to launch at any moment.
Full Review | Original Score: 3.5/5
Grant Rollings
The Sun (UK)
December 22, 2015
Even a vampish Vikander can't make the perfectly pleasant JR exciting. In truth he's more son of a nun.
Full Review | Original Score: 2/5
Norman Wilner
NOW Toronto
April 14, 2015
When the focus is firmly on McGregor and Thwaites, the movie crackles; the actors rip into the toxic father-son dynamic between their characters, and their rapport gives the key action sequences a real kick.
Original Score: 3/5
Boo Allen
Denton Record-Chronicle
April 14, 2015
Julius Avery wrote and directed with an eye toward a fast pace and grim atmospherics.
Full Review
George Byrne
The Herald (Ireland)
April 13, 2015
It's done extremely well and with a great deal of verve.
Full Review | Original Score: 3/5
Ben Rawson-Jones
Digital Spy
April 13, 2015
A reasonably engaging thriller, Son of a Gun is most notable for reminding us of that Ewan McGregor still possesses that irresistibly dangerous and edgy quality that propelled him to stardom in Shallow Grave and Trainspotting.
Full Review | Original Score: 3/5
Rich Cline
Contactmusic.com
April 13, 2015
This may not be the brightest thriller in the cinema, but it's made with such a ripping sense of energy that it's thoroughly entertaining.
Full Review | Original Score: 3.5/5
Liam Dunn
We Got This Covered
April 13, 2015
This is a film of tough men doing tough things, of shoot outs and car chases, and of backstabbing double crosses. This is what has been missing from action cinema lately, and it is refreshing and exciting to see something so propulsive.
Full Review | Original Score: 4/5
Henry Fitzherbert
Daily Express (UK)
April 13, 2015
The tension comes and goes and crime thriller cliches are dutifully observed (call it a B+ movie), but writer-director Julius Avery displays a muscular touch behind the camera.
Full Review | Original Score: 3/5
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