70
Metascore
6 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 80The New York TimesGlenn KennyThe New York TimesGlenn KennyThe movie’s wide-screen framing, ruthless plot reversals and say-what-you-mean writing sometimes recall a master of socially conscious cinema from another era, Sam Fuller. But this is a picture with its own strong voice.
- 80The Hollywood ReporterFrank ScheckThe Hollywood ReporterFrank ScheckThe film handles its admittedly familiar themes in uncommonly sensitive fashion.
- 80Los Angeles TimesMichael RechtshaffenLos Angeles TimesMichael RechtshaffenFilmmaker and Columbia professor Joseph, and playwright Beaty, in his feature writing and acting debut, infuse the movie with an intense New York City realism and an evocative street poetry that conjure up early John Cassavetes and Spike Lee.
- 70VarietyNick SchagerVarietyNick SchagerDespite its familiarity, Chapter & Verse manages to make its material both fresh and authentic.
- 50Movie NationRoger MooreMovie NationRoger MooreThe conventions of the “fresh out of prison” drama are long-established. But they’re recycled, to good effect, in Chapter & Verse, a well-acted genre picture that suffers only from a chronic inability to surprise.
- 50Village VoiceCraig D. LindseyVillage VoiceCraig D. LindseyThe story, scripted by Beaty and poet/author-turned-filmmaker Jamal Joseph (who himself did five-and-a-half years in Leavenworth) dips into sloppy, melodramatic heavy-handedness, sullying the occasional spurts of fresh perspective.