40
A Score to Settle reveals itself as a swarm of cliches that ring louder than bullets.
What are people saying?
What are critics saying?
50
The movie does gain in stature just by letting Cage be Cage. When he’s riding in a car right after his release, Frank rolls down the window feeling a breeze on his face. Cage puts on that “shine sweet freedom” expression he used at the end of “Con Air.” If you’re a fan of the actor, this is a moment when all is right in the world.
50
The Film Stage by Jared Mobarak
The potential to open things up with secondary characters like a prostitute who takes an inexplicable shine to Frank (Karolina Wydra’s Simone) and her obnoxious pimp Trip (Sean Owen Roberts) is there to capitalize on. Ku and Newman would rather cut that bait loose, however, and let Cage go wild instead. It’s a jarring tonal shift.
30
The New York Times by Jeannette Catsoulis
Not even John Newman’s distressingly awful dialogue can slow Cage’s roll to a histrionic finish.
40
The Hollywood Reporter by Justin Lowe
Ku shows a decent grasp of plot mechanics, but never manages to adequately develop the characters or effectively modulate the film’s pacing, even in the brief action scenes, which prove too tame by typical Cage standards.
50
Los Angeles Times by Noel Murray
Without Cage, there’d be almost no reason to see the by-the-numbers revenge thriller A Score to Settle. With him, the movie isn’t just watchable, it’s occasionally riveting.