60
Leguizamo finds the right mute for his trumpet, modulating his expenditure of emotion to the requirements of the scenario rather than overengaging his capable Mambo Mouth.
What are people saying?
What are critics saying?
75
A raw and powerful suspense thriller.
60
Starts out bracingly but gradually loses focus. Ecuadorian writer-director Sebastian Cordero's screenplay trades in underdeveloped conflicts and blank characters, hinting far too early at the killer's probable identity.
75
Christian Science Monitor by David Sterritt
The film begins strongly and violently, then simmers down to a standard-issue suspense story.
80
Writer-director Sebastian Cordero wrings nerve-racking suspense, and complex performances, from these dynamics.
70
Los Angeles Times by Kevin Thomas
The result is reasonably absorbing and a provocative if familiar commentary on media manipulation, with Leguizamo terrific in a serious, intense performance.
80
The Hollywood Reporter by Kirk Honeycutt
A crackling good suspense thriller.
60
TV Guide Magazine by Maitland McDonagh
What distinguishes Cordero's film is his use of location.
50
The New York Times by Stephen Holden
A film divided against itself. The more the cat-and-mouse game between prisoner and reporter points it in the direction of "The Silence of the Lambs," the closer it inches toward the sort of exploitation it condemns; for me, that's too close for Crónicas to be taken without a big grain of salt.