46
Metascore
7 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- Ireland and Hill have crafted a layered Shakespearean adaptation that is intricate and immersive — a description that applies to the performances, including Winter in a role which was originally earmarked for Hill.
- 80Film ThreatFilm ThreatMeasure for Measure is a collection of great performances by both seasoned and up-and-coming actors.
- 63Movie NationRoger MooreMovie NationRoger MooreI haven’t seen Measure for Measure on the stage in years, but the rough shape of it forms in the mind watching this adaptation, its hits (characters) and the reasons it’s called “a problem play.” And those bones, a poignant romance, betrayals and mercy coming from the most unexpected places and vivid characters, pretty much save this film, or at least make it watchable.
- 50RogerEbert.comMonica CastilloRogerEbert.comMonica CastilloBased on the Shakespeare play of the same name, Paul Ireland’s Measure for Measure is filled with drama, although perhaps not the kind you’d expect from the Bard. No, this is a modern-day adaptation—one grappling with xenophobia, drug addiction, and gun violence. There are no period costumes here, but there’s a stone-faced Hugo Weaving to make up for it.
- 50Original-CinLiam LaceyOriginal-CinLiam LaceyThough much of it is glum and muddled, it does find an anchor in Hugo Weaving (Lord of the Rings, The Matrix) as a gravely wise, ailing crime boss named Duke.
- 40The New York TimesJeannette CatsoulisThe New York TimesJeannette CatsoulisGlancing social commentary — like the difficulties of cultural assimilation and the invisible wounds of war — is welcome, but the script (by Ireland and Damian Hill, who died in 2018) is too cluttered for it to resonate and too mired in a muddle of sin and redemption.
- 40The Hollywood ReporterJohn DeForeThe Hollywood ReporterJohn DeForeThe literary source is one of only a couple of real draws in what is otherwise a fairly routine present-day crime saga.