Film.com by Laremy Legel

Boasting a compelling cast of characters, Wasteland” is a very smooth feature film debut from director Rowan Athale, and one that invites repeat viewings.

The New York Times by Miriam Bale

To borrow from a term for the gritty, working-class British dramas that this film also nods to, it’s a kitchen-sink caper.

Village Voice by Chuck Wilson

Athale has a flair for guy-pal banter; here, the talk is funny and profane, silly and profound, often in the same breath.

The Hollywood Reporter by Michael Rechtshaffen

Wasteland is a deconstructed heist film that eschews the genre’s usual quick cutting and gritty visuals in favor of a quieter, more intimate approach. While it doesn’t exactly reinvent the wheel, it does offer a distinct way of watching it spin, with a young, fresh-faced cast to help bring it to life.

Variety

It’s an overlong Northern British heist caper with a wildly uneven tone and a needlessly scrambled narrative, but it suggests a higher intelligence beneath, waiting to flower down the road.

The Playlist by Kevin Jagernauth

Lethargic and not particularly invigorating or fresh, you can skip Wasteland and wait for the next Brit crime flick that will be following before long.

Los Angeles Times by Robert Abele

The frustrating thing about the British heist flick Wasteland is how it creates two admirably entertaining storytelling strands — one a friendship saga, the other a robbery caper — yet can't merge the two successfully.

The Dissolve by Scott Tobias

Wasteland reveals itself as little more than a bloodless plot engine, but it purrs and hums under the ultra-slick chassis.

Slant Magazine

At heart a heist movie, snappy and dry in its humor, clever in its elaborate robbery scheme, and somewhat bloated and unspooled in its storytelling.

Slant Magazine by Tina Hassannia

At heart a heist movie, snappy and dry in its humor, clever in its elaborate robbery scheme, and somewhat bloated and unspooled in its storytelling.

Variety by Andrew Barker

It’s an overlong Northern British heist caper with a wildly uneven tone and a needlessly scrambled narrative, but it suggests a higher intelligence beneath, waiting to flower down the road.

Time Out by David Fear

It’s a waste, for sure — of talent and your time.

New York Post by Kyle Smith

The shallow, derivative and contrived British heist thriller Wasteland lives down to its unfortunate name.