50
Burton is too old for the part, and Richardson's turgidly literal approach is none too involving.
What are people saying?
What are critics saying?
80
The New York Times by Bosley Crowther
The fury and hate that John Osborne was able to pack into a flow of violent words in his stage play, Look Back in Anger, are not only matched but also documented in the film that the original stage director, Tony Richardson, has made from that vicious play.
60
Powerhouse performance from Richard Burton but a little too old to play the angry young man stuff that is essential to this tale.
63
Chicago Reader by Jonathan Rosenbaum
Probably still watchable today, if only for the brittle dialogue and kitchen-sink realism, but undoubtedly dated as well.
80
The New Yorker by Pauline Kael
It's something of a mess, but this mess--and The Entertainer, also a mess--are possibly the most exciting films to have come out of England in this period.
80
The Guardian by Peter Bradshaw
Sixty years on, the big-screen adaptation of the landmark play looks more conservative than revolutionary but Burton’s firepower is undimmed.
83
Portland Oregonian by Ted Mahar
Director Tony Richardson and Burton -- and Mary Ure, Claire Bloom and Edith Evans -- show what excitement could be created on paltry budgets in England in the late '50s and early '60s. [30 Sep 2001]