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Critics Consensus: Tense, thoughtful, and deftly paced, The East is a political thriller that never loses sight of the human element.
Critic Consensus: Tense, thoughtful, and deftly paced, The East is a political thriller that never loses sight of the human element.
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All Critics (144) | Top Critics (41) | Fresh (108) | Rotten (36) | DVD (1)
Marling and Batmanglij don't fear or resent entertainment: They make effective thrillers... If they reach a major studio and bigger budget, they could be the right kind of dangerous.
Its morally ambiguous investigation of extreme left-wing politics is ... light years away from usual multiplex concerns.
The latest collaboration between director Zal Batmanglij and screenwriter Brit Marling suffers from the same problem as their previous picture, Sound of My Voice: It's taut, compelling, unpredictable and completely wipes out in the final few minutes.
"The East" leaves questions unanswered, but at least it asks those questions.
A fast-rising newcomer to film, the willowy Marling is maturing fast, and encouragingly unwilling to dumb herself down for stock girlfriend roles. This is her strongest work yet and I hope a harbinger of much more to come.
Marling and Batmanglij bring an evenhanded perspective to their portrayals of the characters and issues involved.
One of the most enchanting boring movies put to screen.
As it is, crippling plot holes and underdrawn characters may mean you're less than wholly seduced by The East.
Its the rather sensitive portrayals from each character that you will remember the most.
The whole thing feels strident and naive, a well-meaning drama composed by a couple of college kids for their Environmental Science final.
The total effect is affected, annoying and off-putting.
Provocative and exciting, with bigger set pieces and a fierce devotion to character development, this is the sort of smart genre thriller that Hollywood needs more of.
It's uneven, especially in its lack of real suspense and character motivations. But The East's moral ambiguity and complexity of ideas makes for an engaging thriller that the studio system should be making more often. Writer/actor Brit Marling is quickly developing into a force to be reckoned with, standing alongside a great supporting cast with wit and ferocity.
Super Reviewer
Good movie. The writing is clever and topical, and obviously hits quite a few nerves for those viewers who object to its criticism of corporate America. I applaud the film makers for daring to challenge a system that all too often succumbs to greed and corruption, and leaves behind death and grief. Not at all a dull movie, full of some really great acting...
I was pleasantly surprised by this movie and I am starting to admire Brit Marling as writer and actress. While some may love or hate the ending, I was thoroughly engaged in the story-line and I appreciate movies that leave me thinking afterwards.
Although it may drag out some scenes and have a few off moments, "The East" is a genuinely good thriller with very unique camerawork and a cast that you will not be able to turn away from. Every actor/actress in this film will engage you in the story and not want to stop watching. The first half of the film is far more interesting than the second half, but it's premise does not shy away from what it wants to get across. I think the biggest problem with the film is that it just chooses to end without any real resolution. I felt very letdown by the ending, but the characters stayed true, so that's fine I guess. This film has some scenes that really stood out to me, and that I would tell people to watch the film just to see those, the script is very well-written, and having Ridley Scott as one of your producers is a definite plus. I did not love this movie, but it is very very good!
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