68
Metascore
10 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 90Los Angeles TimesKenneth TuranLos Angeles TimesKenneth TuranWhile major stars thrust together on screen often end up undercutting each other, one of the pleasures of Becket is how easily and generously these two commanding actors play off each other, each allowing the other the space to make the most of their individual roles.
- 83Christian Science MonitorPeter RainerChristian Science MonitorPeter RainerBurton is extraordinary in one of his rare good movie roles and O'Toole is regally madcap and larger than life. No doubt his Oscar-nominated appearance in "Venus" has prompted this rerelease of Becket. They make a fascinating then-and-now combination.
- 83Portland OregonianM. E. RussellPortland OregonianM. E. RussellO'Toole just keeps turning up the volume, and it's thrilling to watch.
- 80Washington PostDesson ThomsonWashington PostDesson ThomsonIt is a snapshot of a great actor in his prime and a chance for us to see one of yesteryear's great films in all its kingly luster.
- 75Philadelphia InquirerCarrie RickeyPhiladelphia InquirerCarrie RickeyPeter Glenville's staging of the material is the opposite of cinematic, but the pleasure of these two extravagantly gifted actors at the top of their game - their diction! their conviction! their beauty! - is enormous.
- 75Chicago TribuneMichael WilmingtonChicago TribuneMichael WilmingtonBecket, now richly restored, is one of those '60s British theatrical spectaculars that we always imagine as a bit better than they were.
- 70L.A. WeeklyElla TaylorL.A. WeeklyElla TaylorThere's much to be said for a film that, however cheesily realized, sticks in memory for four decades.
- 63Boston GlobeBoston GlobeThe one thing going for Becket is actually two things: Burton and O'Toole.
- 50Chicago ReaderDave KehrChicago ReaderDave KehrOne hundred forty-nine minutes of pure, unadulterated culture.
- 30Village VoiceVillage VoiceDully overcomposed, the film evinces a Disneyed sense of palace life and reaches a laughable apotheosis when Henry and Becket's rendezvous on a beach is staged as a reunion between scorned lovers. In 1964, the film's innuendo might have seemed daring; today it's close to ridiculous.