46
Metascore
29 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 70Chicago ReaderJ.R. JonesChicago ReaderJ.R. JonesLars von Trier is back, so to speak--he's never visited the States, which makes his snide anti-American allegories even more infuriating to some….But the story holds up well enough to deliver a pointed critique of establishing self-rule at gunpoint.
- 70The New York TimesStephen HoldenThe New York TimesStephen HoldenTo warm to Manderlay, the chilly second installment of Lars von Trier's not-yet-finished three-part Brechtian allegory examining United States history, you must be willing to tolerate the derision and moral arrogance of a snide European intellectual thumbing his nose at American barbarism.
- 67The A.V. ClubScott TobiasThe A.V. ClubScott TobiasIt's an extremely cynical perspective, enforced by some disappointingly turgid melodrama, but keep in mind, this movie was made before an almost uniformly poor and black population was left to rot in New Orleans floodwaters. Even at his worst, von Trier can still strike a nerve.
- 63Rolling StonePeter TraversRolling StonePeter TraversHoward struggles with the role Kidman nailed. And the graphic nude scene in which "proudy slave" Timothy (Isaach De Bankole) puts a towel over Grace's head before ravishing her pale body is as rugged on the audience as it is on the actors.
- 60Film ThreatFilm ThreatIf you hated "Dogville" because of the overage of narration or the length of time it took to finally get to a point, you'll be pleased to know that von Trier has lessened both those elements. With that said, it still has some of the same flaws.
- 50TV Guide MagazineKen FoxTV Guide MagazineKen FoxThe film's conceits grow thin and von Trier's mocking, hectoring tone tiresome.
- 40The Hollywood ReporterKirk HoneycuttThe Hollywood ReporterKirk HoneycuttNothing von Trier presents here, whether real or imagined, is fresh or new.
- 40VarietyTodd McCarthyVarietyTodd McCarthyThe subject being race relations, Manderlay is bound to stir considerable debate in intellectual circles, but given the director's abstract style and use of characters to enact an agenda, it's a discussion that will exclude the general public, who will ignore it as they did "Dogville."
- 30Village VoiceJ. HobermanVillage VoiceJ. HobermanAll of this plays out as flat, didactic, and lazy.
- 25New York PostLou LumenickNew York PostLou LumenickAnother ridiculous anti-American screed by the minimalist Danish director Lars von Trier, who has never set foot in this country.