54
Metascore
23 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 75San Francisco ChronicleG. Allen JohnsonSan Francisco ChronicleG. Allen JohnsonSure, Black and Blue is a minor film, but it’s irresistible.
- 63Slant MagazinePat BrownSlant MagazinePat BrownThe film's command of action defuses concerns about whether it offers a thorough social critique.
- 63Movie NationRoger MooreMovie NationRoger MooreI don’t want to overssell Black and Blue. It doesn’t transcend its genre. But it doesn’t waste our time, modulates its chase with alternating brisk and slow pacing, hand-held camera sprints interrupted by bursts of violence and stops, every so often, at a moral crossroad.
- 60Screen DailyTim GriersonScreen DailyTim GriersonAlthough less convincing when it tries to say something meaningful about racism and police brutality, Black And Blue has sufficient pulp pleasures and a winning confidence in executing its modest ambitions.
- 50The Hollywood ReporterKeith UhlichThe Hollywood ReporterKeith UhlichThere's a tight, tense thriller in all this. Unfortunately, director Deon Taylor and screenwriter Peter A. Dowling stretch things out to a logy 104 minutes. Too often, the suspense dissipates between action scenes when it should be consistent and relentless, even in the quietest moments.
- 50TheWrapCandice FrederickTheWrapCandice FrederickBlack and Blue is chock-full of heart-pounding car chases and suspenseful moments that are certain to entertain mainstream audiences, but the film falters when it attempts, beyond its tittle to reflect a necessary and under-discussed conversation about societal issues.
- 50VarietyTomris LafflyVarietyTomris LafflyBlack and Blue feels imbalanced and overlong, favoring fast and repetitive chase scenes over well-calibrated tension.
- 40EmpireIan FreerEmpireIan FreerNot even the considerable talents of the ever watchable Naomie Harris can elevate Black And Blue above the broad and generic. The result is sadly aggressively formulaic.
- 40Rolling StonePeter TraversRolling StonePeter TraversBlack and Blue, hyped by Geoff Zanelli’s pumping score, moves along without actually getting anywhere. Harris deserves better. So do audiences.
- 40Time OutAlex GodfreyTime OutAlex GodfreyThe potentially interesting material is suffocated by a B-movie story and a C-grade script.