38
The documentary is a hollow experience, emotionally stifled by its plotless nature and lack of any visual edge.
What are people saying?
What are critics saying?
80
The New York Times by Andy Webster
The American demand for drugs, which feeds the cartels, is mentioned, though regrettably not expanded upon. But as a rendering of Mexico’s agonized convulsions, Kingdom of Shadows is unforgettable.
50
Los Angeles Times by Martin Tsai
Director Bernardo Ruiz never manages to weave the multiple narratives into a complex but cohesive big picture.
70
Though at times too splintered by its various points of interest, Bernardo Ruiz's up-close-and-personal documentary is nonetheless harrowing in its details.
75
The visible numbness and empty stares of the doc's three subjects painfully evoke years of being gripped by the war on drugs.