Mr. Six: reviews

What the critics say average 7.4 from 25 outlets

• 10 China Film InsiderJonathan Landreth Feng Xiaogang gives a solid performance as the title character of Mr. Six: a gravel-throated vigilante shaken when his go-it-alone rescue effort puts him on a collision course with a world that's much bigger and more complex than the one he's used to. Read
• 9.0 Sino-CinemaDerek Elley Feng Xiaogang triumphs as an actor in this saga of a onetime Beijing hoodlum's apotheosis. Read
• 9.0 movieXclusiveJohn Li Without giving away too much, the sequence involving a runaway ostrich may hold the answer to what life is really about. Read
• 9.0 easternKicksJames Mudge Anchored by Feng Xiaogang's excellent performance, the film is gripping, insightful and taut, and an entertaining look at modern China and the conflicts arising from the rapid social change sweeping the country. Read
• 9.0 Cine con PalillosWambo What stands out in the film, and what in the end earns all my praise, is the lead himself. Read
• 8.5 Asian Movie PulsePanos Kotzathanasis Feng Xiaogang is sublime in the titular role, as he presents a multi-leveled character, whose opposing characteristics make him contradictory, at least until his real self is revealed. Read
• 8.5 J.B. SpinsJoe Bendel Thanks to his flinty presence and Guan's reserved approach, Mr. Six might just be the definitive aging gangster. Read
• 8.0 South China Morning PostJames Marsh By comparison, Cow director Guan Hu pitches Mr Six somewhere closer to Eastwood's Unforgiven, and the results are equally stylish, elegiac and impressive. Read
• 8.0 The Straits TimesBoon Chan The film is a compelling character study meshed with a thriller that gives it a sense of urgency. Read
• 8.0 LoveHKFilmKozo The lack of action and frequent dry laughs might disappoint some audiences, but as China films go, Mr. Six is a winner. Read
• 7.5 The Seattle TimesTom Keogh The travails of an old gangster in a contemporary Beijing overrun with privileged brats is at the heart of the largely winning Mr. Six. Read
• 7.5 The World of ChineseTerence Hsieh Director Guan Hu manages to stitch all this together in a nuanced and sublime cutting-room job. Read
• 7.0 VarietyPeter Debruge Constructed as the long, inward-gazing buildup to an epic showdown on a frozen lake, Guan Hu's genre-subverting drama could just as easily be an elegy for a disappearing style of filmmaking. Read
• 7.0 Screen DailyLee Marshall A knockout central performance by director and occasional actor Feng Xiaogang, as a former Beijing street fighter brought reluctantly back into the urban fray in order to save his son, is the dramatic anchor of this engaging mainland genre-bender. Read
• 7.0 The Sydney Morning HeraldPhilippa Hawker Mr Six is a comic, elegiac film that never settles into one particular genre or mood. Read
• 7.0 The Young FolksNathanael Hood Hu and actor Feng Xiaogang transform Mr. Six into a creature capable of making and admitting to mistakes, feeling and expressing sincere emotion. Read
• 7.0 Chlotrudis Society for Independent FilmJason MR. SIX tells a fairly familiar story, but does so with a bit more style than expected, and a knack for smoothing over the potentially bumpy parts that should not be underestimated. Read
• 7.0 In Review OnlineSam C. Mac His performance lends Mr. Six an Eastwoodian gravitas, perfectly paired with Peng Dou's stately, brass-heavy score. Read
• 6.5 Georgia StraightKen Eisner The results are more admirable than emotionally engaging, but the movie has some unforgettable images. Read
• 6.5 FlicksAaron Yap But Hu conjures resonant moments away from the plot, such as finding a gently comic tone in the loyal, warm camaraderie of old pals getting together. Read
• 6.0 The Hollywood ReporterDeborah Young Where Guan excels is in straight dramatization, like the moving, beautifully acted reconciliation in a restaurant between gruff father and impatient son. Read
• 6.0 Blood BrothersJosh Parmer All in all, Mr. Six is a nice melodrama with a certain edge that you won't find in many Chinese movies. Read
• 5.8 The Film StageZhuo-Ning Su Plotted with limited imagination and directed with atypical flatness, Mr. Six features a strong central performance. Read
• 5.5 The Chinese CinemaSean Gilman His Mr. Six is amiable and steely, a quiet authority barely concealing depths of anger and disappointment. Read
• 4.0 New York TimesNicolas Rapold The baggy 137-minute story drowns out Mr. Feng's assorted sharp moments with hoary family drama and clumsy plotting, and Li Yifeng is generic as Mr. Six's son. Read