72
Metascore
19 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 91Entertainment WeeklyOwen GleibermanEntertainment WeeklyOwen GleibermanDeath and the Maiden doesn't always escape its contraption origins, but it ends with one of the most honest-and poetic- reckonings of human evil in modern movies. It's Polanski braying at his own bitter moon.
- 89Austin ChronicleMarc SavlovAustin ChronicleMarc SavlovDeath and the Maiden is a streamlined razor-ride of a movie: taut, riveting, and a psychological horror show that will leave nail-marks in your palms for days afterwards.
- 80EmpireKim NewmanEmpireKim NewmanEven by their high standards, the performances of Weaver and Kingsley here are impressive, and Polanski ratchetts up the tension nicely. A chilling and thought-provoking piece.
- 75Chicago Sun-TimesRoger EbertChicago Sun-TimesRoger EbertDeath and the Maiden is all about acting. In other hands, even given the same director, this might have been a dreary slog.
- 75Rolling StonePeter TraversRolling StonePeter TraversPolanski, working from a fluid script by Dorfman and Rafael Yglesias ("Fearless"), gives the story its due. He creates an atmosphere of claustrophobic tension to rival his "Knife in the Water" and "Repulsion".
- 75San Francisco ChronicleMick LaSalleSan Francisco ChronicleMick LaSallePolanski directs the film without a wasting a moment. The occasional humor does nothing to relieve tension but, as in a Hitchcock picture, has a way of increasing it.
- 70Chicago ReaderJonathan RosenbaumChicago ReaderJonathan RosenbaumEven though he's psychologically expanded his source, the material is a bit too schematic to work as much more than a scaled-down thriller.
- 70SalonCharles TaylorSalonCharles TaylorIt's an exceptionally intelligent and controlled piece of direction, and for once Polanski didn't hide his emotions in a death's-head grin. The movie is raw and passionate and unresolved in a way that's unique among his work.
- 63San Francisco ExaminerSan Francisco ExaminerThere's not much mystery here; there's only one outcome that could possibly make dramatic sense. And once you realize that, there's not much to do besides watch some very adept performers chew on their lines.
- 50ReelViewsJames BerardinelliReelViewsJames BerardinelliPolanski abandons all attempts at subtlety. The resulting production ends up far too heavy-handed to be considered powerful drama.