37
Metascore
11 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 90The Hollywood ReporterDeborah YoungThe Hollywood ReporterDeborah YoungIn this fast-moving, densely plotted black dramedy, a faux scandal raised by an ambitious web TV editor comes close to destroying a number of lives, offering a masterful panorama on urban, middle class China.
- 50Slant MagazineSlant MagazineThe film opts for didactic resolution instead of fully committing to the contradictions in identity and agency its main character embodies.
- 40The DissolveNathan RabinThe DissolveNathan RabinThe screenplay relies far too heavily on coincidences, misunderstandings, and characters purposefully not saying things for reasons rooted in plot contrivances rather than clear motivation.
- 40Time OutDavid FearTime OutDavid FearNo stranger to controversy, Fifth Generation Chinese filmmaker Chen Kaige (Farewell, My Concubine) has always taken his country to task over bureaucratic and social issues; here, the director goes after both old-media exploitation and new-media omnipresence, and the result is less than cutting.
- 33The A.V. ClubIgnatiy VishnevetskyThe A.V. ClubIgnatiy VishnevetskySince making an ill-fated attempt at Hollywood with 2002’s "Killing Me Softly," Chen Kaige has slipped further and further out of relevance. Now even his elegant sense of style — the one thing keeping later efforts like "Forever Enthralled" afloat — seems to be slipping away. Case in point: Chen’s new film, Caught In The Web.
- 30The New York TimesNicolas RapoldThe New York TimesNicolas RapoldA messy collision of strained portrayals, semi-comic incidents and tear-jerking tactics.
- 30Los Angeles TimesInkoo KangLos Angeles TimesInkoo KangChen's grand opus about the perils of the Internet already feels obsolete.
- 20Village VoiceNick SchagerVillage VoiceNick SchagerAmid much overacting, Kaige addresses the subjectivity and unreliability of images through this-isn't-what-it-looks-like scenarios that would make Jack Tripper groan.