New York Magazine (Vulture) by David Edelstein

The movie is gorgeous, mesmerizing, poetic; the lyricism actually heightened by harsh jets of gore.

The New York Times by Manohla Dargis

Again and again, as the story shifts between women, times and moods, Mr. Jordan adds a punctuating flourish...that exquisitely illustrates the once-upon-a-time mood.

Chicago Sun-Times by Bruce Ingram

It takes a while, but the old-fashioned pleasure of watching a well-told story unfold eventually becomes the chief satisfaction in Byzantium, though there are other things to enjoy as well.

The Film Stage by Christopher Schobert

Throughout, Jordan’s direction is stylish and smart, while its cast succeeds in making its characters truly involving.

Time Out by Keith Uhlich

Jordan’s poetic sensibilities more than make up for any flaws. His uncanny aptitude for conjuring up resonantly metaphorical images — from a pointed fingernail pushing toward a vein to a waterfall turning into a literal river of blood — proves there’s plenty of life left in this undead genre.

Empire by Kim Newman

A mixture of tough and wistful and reflective and brutal, this is the ideal vampire movie for Twi-hards who’ve had their hearts broken for the first time and want to move on to a less cosy vision of eternal romance with a side order of addiction.

Village Voice by Stephanie Zacharek

Byzantium isn't Jordan's first movie about bloodsuckers—that would be 1994's Interview with the Vampire—but it's the right vampire movie for today, poetic and elegant in an artfully tattered way.

IndieWire by Eric Kohn

By the standards of Jordan's earlier films, "Byzantium" is unquestionably a minor achievement, but its technical specs help flesh out a thick environment that elevates the proceedings to a lyrical plane.

Observer by Rex Reed

It’s not perfect, but when it works, Byzantium towers above all of the romantic vampire slobber we’ve been getting lately. I fear that Dracula is watching from some moldy crypt somewhere, nodding approval.

Philadelphia Inquirer by Tirdad Derakhshani

While it flirts with the ridiculous, the film manages to maintain a certain gravitas as its many stories unfold.

McClatchy-Tribune News Service by Roger Moore

There’s not much new here, but at least Byzantium has well-acted, compelling characters telling its time-worn tale with style. That’s the best we can hope for, these days, from this genre that will not die.

Slant Magazine by Ed Gonzalez

Forlorn depictions of love and death may dignify Neil Jordan's film, but narrative withholding ultimately drives a stake into its unmistakable heart.

The Globe and Mail (Toronto)

Female-forward and class-conscious, allegorical and adventurous, Byzantium is almost the anti-Batman.

Total Film by Neil Smith

Jordan’s apparent resolve to make an anti-Twilight unfortunately results in a movie that, if not for a fistful of moments of shock, style and excess, would be as drained of colour and tension as Ronan’s victims are of hemoglobin.

Film.com by Jordan Hoffman

It isn’t just the bright colors and the costumes but every visual aspect of Byzantium that sings. Neil Jordan knows where to put the camera. It’s just a shame he wasn’t able to inject a little life inside that frame.

The Playlist by Kevin Jagernauth

Though given two committed turns by a tremendously sexy and vicious Arterton and a solid-as-always Ronan, Byzantium often feels as gray and lifeless as the corpses in the film.