40
Ultimately the movie disappoints, falling between two stools and failing to convince either as spectacle or as a fable about religious obsession.
What are people saying?
What are critics saying?
70
Arizona Republic by Bill Goodykoontz
Dominik Moll downplays the overtly scandalous nature of the story, at least for a while, with a leisurely pace heavy on imagery. He’s made a beautiful-looking film that portends disaster. And disaster arrives, eventually. It just takes its time getting there.
60
An austere, cerebral reading of a book which is unfettered, blood-bolstered and wildly sensationalist — Lewis is the father of torture porn, not a master of subtle chills. It’s interesting and unsettling, with a charismatic lead performance, but nowhere near as shocking as it should be.
50
The New York Times by Manohla Dargis
Mr. Moll, whose films include “With a Friend Like Harry...,” somewhat heroically manages to keep the story’s manifold twists from becoming knotted, but he’s less adept at setting up the characters and their relationships and especially the depth and significance of their faith.
75
Portland Oregonian by Marc Mohan
Not to be mistaken for a serious treatment of religious fervor or clerical corruption, The Monk is instead a knowingly over-the-top bit of gothic nuttiness.
60
The Guardian by Peter Bradshaw
It is not a story of great depth or passion, but there are intriguing and unsettling moments on its well-crafted surface.