The New Republic by Stanley Kauffmann

The making of the film is so slick, the acting so exceptional, that we find ourselves trapped - caring about what happens to the three principals. [6 May 1991, p.26]

Chicago Sun-Times by Roger Ebert

Surprisingly touching.

Empire by Staff (Not Credited)

One of the most cinematic movies to come along in a while, with sparse dialogue, top-notch action and plenty of visual razzamatazz.

Entertainment Weekly

It's like "The Terminator" as reimagined by the editors of French Vogue.

Entertainment Weekly by Lawrence O'Toole

It's like "The Terminator" as reimagined by the editors of French Vogue.

Chicago Tribune by Dave Kehr

Besson is an accomplished technician, and his choice of shots-with an emphasis on bizarre, low angles, darting camera movements and large, abstract color fields-is consistently entertaining if not particularly expressive. [3 Apr 1991, Tempo, p.3]

Washington Post by Desson Thomson

Ludicrous. Its logic flies out the window like a rocket. It's unbelievable and ridiculous... But fascinating it is.

Austin Chronicle

Obviously, there's something going on here but I'm not convinced Besson knows what it is.

Austin Chronicle by Kathleen Maher

Obviously, there's something going on here but I'm not convinced Besson knows what it is.

The Globe and Mail (Toronto) by Rick Groen

Always stylish and occasionally thrilling and never thoughtful.

TV Guide Magazine by Staff (Non Credited)

A supremely slick piece of entertainment where style triumphs over substance.

USA Today by Mike Clark

Disappointing. [6 Mar 1991, Life, p.9D]

Washington Post by Hal Hinson

Parillaud is expressive but rather mundane. She's best at playing sullen, but there are so many French actresses who specialize in this particular talent -- the French have mastered the apathetic pout -- that she seems generic.

San Francisco Chronicle by Mick LaSalle

The picture, for all its slickness and style, is empty, empty-headed and emotionally false… [It] has no more depth than "Pretty Woman" and occupies the same moral landscape. [5 Apr 1991, Daily Datebook, p.E11]

Variety

[Parillaud] remains a totally uninteresting figment of Besson's blinkered movieland imagination, especially when she's in the company of Karyo and Anglade, who provide balance to her overacting.

Chicago Reader by Jonathan Rosenbaum

The talentless but irrepressibly trendy Luc Besson ("Subway," "The Big Blue") dreamed up this idiotic story that seems vaguely inspired by Kubrick's (not Anthony Burgess's) "A Clockwork Orange."