Chicago Sun-Times by Roger Ebert

This is such a rare movie. Its characters are uncompromisingly themselves, flawed, stubborn, vulnerable.

The New York Times by Stephen Holden

Mr. Malkovich is one of the few actors capable of conveying genuine intellectual depth.

Christian Science Monitor by Peter Rainer

As fiercely unsentimental as Disgrace is, it offers by the end a measure of hope, and because that hope is so hard-won, it has the ring of truth.

Village Voice

The austere economy of Coetzee's writing, crisply adapted for the screen by Anna Maria Monticelli, plays out the melodrama with quietly brooding menace.

NPR by Bob Mondello

John Malkovich has played some odd ducks in his career, but for sheer unsavoriness, few can match the blandly monstrous Cape Town poetry professor he brings to off-putting life in Disgrace.

Empire by Ian Nathan

Surprisingly successful adaptation of J. M. Coetzee's superb novel.

Village Voice by Ella Taylor

The austere economy of Coetzee's writing, crisply adapted for the screen by Anna Maria Monticelli, plays out the melodrama with quietly brooding menace.

Entertainment Weekly by Lisa Schwarzbaum

Newcomer Jessica Haines is transparent and heartbreaking as the prof's unorthodox daughter, a victim of violence as the old ways crumble.

New York Post by V.A. Musetto

I cannot tell a lie. I derive great satisfaction watching John Malkovich act.

Boston Globe by Ty Burr

It’s a harsh experience, at times engrossing, at other times stiff and unconvincing, but it asks a necessary question: What happens to the country’s whites after white rule is gone?

Variety by Eddie Cockrell

Anchored by another marvelously quirky yet deadly serious performance from John Malkovich, and likely to be relished by the fan base of J.M. Coetzee's Booker Prize-winning novel, this is a strong, perceptive, old-school arthouse picture.

The A.V. Club by Keith Phipps

After a compelling opening act and some shocking late-film developments, the film feels disengaged from the action at hand and the issues raised.

The Hollywood Reporter

The story often appears a little unreal.

New York Daily News by Joe Neumaier

The film, unfortunately, hasn't the depth Malkovich brings to his performance.

Time Out

A frustrating film full of overplayed men-as-dogs metaphors, it’s only watchable for Malkovich, who could probably read a social studies exam and still be commanding.