40
The Hollywood Reporter by Frank Scheck
Fortunately, there's Lively, adopting a convincing British accent, who almost, but not quite, manages to infuse the convoluted goings-on with enough gravitas to make them convincing.
What are people saying?
What are critics saying?
25
The film’s occasional gestures toward pseudo-feminist empowerment only compound the hollowness of its protagonist.
60
Lively’s steely heroine and a propulsive plot ensure you’re never bored, but this is a generic thriller from a simpler time, bulked up by a single strong performance.
50
Chicago Tribune by Michael Phillips
The movie is made well, if you’re buying what it’s selling, and if you don’t consider a story or a script as crucial to the quality of a thriller.
60
The Rhythm Section is wonderfully acted by Blake Lively and immersively directed by Reed Morano, creating a tense and mostly engaging thriller.
60
The Guardian by Peter Bradshaw
The rapport between Law and Lively allows the movie both to relax and pick up the pace. Morano puts together good fight scenes, robust stunt work and tasty car chases. It’s destined to be viewed on a million long-haul flights, but it works perfectly well as a thriller.
70
This isn’t an easy role, but Lively aces it.
38
Chicago Sun-Times by Richard Roeper
Despite a game performance by Lively, The Rhythm Section is a junk pile of missteps, from the convoluted screenplay that hops from locale to locale in Advil-inducing fashion to the overly stylized directing to the self-consciously “cool” oldies pop music selections.
63
The lyrics aren’t all that. But in an action film, it’s tempo that matters. The Rhythm Section never loses the beat.
20
The Rhythm Section takes well-worn genre material and removes all the substance and ingenuity, leaving behind only an undeveloped plot, a blank main character, and a sense of gravitas that is entirely unearned.