61
Metascore
27 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 88Charlotte ObserverLawrence ToppmanCharlotte ObserverLawrence ToppmanPicks up steam from the ominous opening scene and ends as a quietly suspenseful thriller.
- 88New York PostJonathan ForemanNew York PostJonathan ForemanThe movie that deserved to win the Oscar for foreign-language film, and one of the best movies ever made about life behind the Iron Curtain.
- 88New York Daily NewsJami BernardNew York Daily NewsJami BernardFeels like an old-fashioned movie in the way it deals with bold sacrifices made in the name of love, while its setting and chary view of the era's political machinations mark it as distinctly modern.
- 80The New York TimesDana StevensThe New York TimesDana StevensWargnier's sumptuous, moving new film, captures both the hope of the returning Russians and their brutal betrayal.
- 75Baltimore SunAnn HornadayBaltimore SunAnn HornadayOne of the unique virtues of the cinema is its ability to bring history to life with engrossing detail and gripping immediacy; East-West does this.
- 70TV Guide MagazineStephen MillerTV Guide MagazineStephen MillerIt's Deneuve, in little more than a cameo, who commands your attention and doesn't release you until she's good and ready.
- 60Village VoiceLeslie CamhiVillage VoiceLeslie CamhiWargnier has assembled a stellar French and Russian cast, but all that talent can't overcome his heavy-handed screenplay.
- 50San Francisco ChronicleBob GrahamSan Francisco ChronicleBob GrahamIt is well-made in an old-fashioned way, and its straight-arrow lack of cynicism may be old- fashioned as well.
- 50Austin ChronicleMarjorie BaumgartenAustin ChronicleMarjorie BaumgartenAlthough it's interesting and well-performed, East-West never locates its crux: It's all over the map.
- 40Rolling StonePeter TraversRolling StonePeter TraversDirector Regis Warginer ("Indochine") lets his film degenerate into a turgid melodrama.