78
Metascore
20 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 90Village VoiceNick PinkertonVillage VoiceNick PinkertonThe finest Western you'll see this year is set in aristocratic 16th-century France, in the heat of Counter-Reformation.
- 83The A.V. ClubNoel MurrayThe A.V. ClubNoel MurrayTavernier turns a tale of courtly duty and manners into a tense, twisty drama.
- 80Boxoffice MagazineRichard MoweBoxoffice MagazineRichard MoweThe script does not provide that much illumination, yet the power of the acting and the quality of the visual imagery carry us along.
- 80The Hollywood ReporterKirk HoneycuttThe Hollywood ReporterKirk HoneycuttOne of the finest costume dramas in a long while.
- 80New York Daily NewsElizabeth WeitzmanNew York Daily NewsElizabeth WeitzmanThe cast and crew render every detail so exquisitely that there's almost too much to take in at once. Repeat viewings will be required.
- 75Using de Chabannes as the film's conscience and moral fulcrum, Tavernier - just as he did in his 1996 film "Captain Conan" - exposes the shame of a meaningless war and the psychological damage borne by those fighting it.
- 75New York PostV.A. MusettoNew York PostV.A. MusettoViewers unfamiliar with the politics of the era might feel lost as the plot unfolds, and the 139-minute running time might be a bit much. But why quibble?
- 75Christian Science MonitorPeter RainerChristian Science MonitorPeter RainerCourtly intrigue should be intriguing, and in that sense, The Princess of Montpensier – although it's somewhat wan and too cerebral for its own good – does a fairly keen job.
- 70The New York TimesManohla DargisThe New York TimesManohla DargisThe French director Bertrand Tavernier deploys some smart ideas in this film, a period story about wars on the battlefield and those closer to home, but there's something a bit goatish in his attention to some female charms.
- 60Time OutDavid FearTime OutDavid FearThe filmmaker provides intellectual rigor to spare, yet precious little narrative focus (you virtually wander into plot strands) and there's a stiffness to the proceedings that neither Wilson's charisma nor Ulliel and Thierry's screen-ready beauty can remedy.