Sensual, dark in every sense, but a touch derivative, Red Road reps an impressive feature debut for Brit writer-helmer Andrea Arnold, an Oscar-winner for her knockout short "Wasp."
What are people saying?
What are critics saying?
The New York Times by A.O. Scott
In the arresting Red Road, the dire Orwellian warning that Big Brother is watching has evolved from a grim fantasy of totalitarianism into a banal fact of life.
It's still dynamite, the kind of sexy, paranoid, creepily atmospheric picture that invades all your senses at once.
Chicago Reader by Jonathan Rosenbaum
Despite the thick Scottish accents, filmmaker Andrea Arnold kept me intrigued, but beyond a certain point the movie's ambiguity fades into indifference.
Academy Award-winning live-action-short director Andrea Arnold makes a startlingly assured debut with this low-key psychological chiller.
Los Angeles Times by Kevin Crust
A spellbinding, intelligent thriller that takes its time to get where it's going but is well worth the trip.
The Hollywood Reporter by Kirk Honeycutt
You might call the film "Rear Window Times 100."
As long as Arnold can avoid giving any reason for Dickie's strange behavior, Red Road remains creepy and hypnotic, but as soon as Arnold explains what's going on, the movie's structure collapses into the rubble of cliché.
Dickie is intense in her screen debut, which requires her to be in nearly every scene. The supporting cast is strong, and Robbie Ryan's handheld camera provides gritty ambiance for this taut thriller.