The Violent Heart: reviews

What the critics say average 5.2 from 11 outlets

• 7.5 IndiewireDavid Ehrlich If this one still bites off more than it can chew, its ambition nevertheless reaffirms Sanga as a skilled and emotionally sensitive filmmaker who’s attuned to the low-frequency wavelengths that tend to get flattened out by stories with this kind of sweep. Read
• 6.3 Movie NationRoger Moore We fear for them, and as we do, the suspense should build to the point where it weighs on you. “The Violent Heart” has that weight about it right from the start. And if the climax seems wanting, perhaps one twist too many, it still doesn’t spoil the mystery we see unfold and the solutions we have time to consider over its 100 or so minutes. Read
• 6.0 New York TimesTeo Bugbee Some of these central relationships are inappropriate, even dangerous, but the subtlety of Sanga’s filmmaking allows for big twists to come as a genuine surprise. It makes for a successful manipulation of his audience’s expectations, even if the overall effect is a movie that feels slightly detached. Read
• 5.8 Original-CinThom Ernst The Violent Heart lies somewhere between a chasm that divides soft-peddled melodrama and Young Adult fiction. It's unlikely director/writer Kerem Sanga intended the story to be categorized as either melodramatic or Young Adult. Read
• 5.0 Los Angeles TimesNoel Murray There’s a lot to like in “The Violent Heart,” with Adepo at the top of the list. But Sanga errs by giving his movie the deterministic structure of a potboiler and the muted tone of a slice-of-life indie drama. Read
• 5.0 The Hollywood ReporterCaryn James That result is a shame, because there is plenty to admire technically in his drama about Daniel, a young Black man in Tennessee trying to pull his life together, and Cassie, a white high-school senior. But its substance is a mashup of ill-fitting parts, indebted to both Romeo and Juliet and Douglas Sirk. Read
• 5.0 Roger EbertMatt Zoller Seitz A promising but self-thwarting film like this is more depressing than an outright bad or dumb one. Read
• 5.0 San Francisco ChronicleMick LaSalle Going into The Violent Heart, you must understand that the ending is insanely ridiculous. This is not to say that it’s not entertaining — in a way, it’s even more entertaining for being insanely ridiculous. But by the end, you will in no way be able to regard The Violent Heart as anything resembling a serious movie. Read
• 5.0 Chicago Sun-TimesRichard Roeper Writer-director Kerem Sanga has a knack for delivering arresting, noir-like visuals, especially from medium- and long-shot distance, and the talented cast gamely tries to sell the material, but “The Violent Heart” is so muddled there are times we have to remind ourselves of the connection between certain characters, and the histrionics so over the top we’re hoping everyone will just take a deep breath and CALM THE HECK DOWN. Read
• 5.0 VarietyPeter Debruge Sanga should have trusted this couple to steer the plot, instead of imprisoning them in it. Read
• 2.0 The Austin ChronicleRichard Whittaker Anodyne and asinine in equal measures, The Violent Heart is just brainless. Read