82
Metascore
25 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 100Village VoiceJ. HobermanVillage VoiceJ. HobermanA superbly balanced piece of work, addressing the passion of Irish Republican martyr Bobby Sands.
- 90New York Magazine (Vulture)David EdelsteinNew York Magazine (Vulture)David EdelsteinThe movie is a political remake of "The Passion of the Christ," only more aestheticized: It's rigorous, evocative, and, in spite of its grisly imagery, elegant. It's a triumph--of masochistic literal-mindedness.
- 83The A.V. ClubNoel MurrayThe A.V. ClubNoel MurrayHunger may be criticized for being willfully arty, or for reducing a complex political situation to a broadly allegorical vision of martyrdom, but it's never less than visually stunning.
- 80Film ThreatFilm ThreatWhile Hunger is a very brutal film, it also taps into human emotions and, in the end, asks what would we be willing to die for or, better, what could we truly not live without?
- 70Chicago ReaderAndrea GronvallChicago ReaderAndrea GronvallThe fulcrum of this deeply humanist work is an extended two-shot of the strike's leader, Bobby Sands (Michael Fassbender), as he converses with a priest (Liam Cunningham); the virtuosic sequence encapsulates the whole sorry history of a horrific civil war.
- 70VarietyVarietyPicture represents a powerful, pertinent but not entirely perfect debut for British visual-artist-turned-feature-helmer Steve McQueen, who demonstrates a painterly touch with composition and real cinematic flair, but who stumbles in film's last furlough with trite symbolism.
- 70The New York TimesA.O. ScottThe New York TimesA.O. ScottThe brutality in the film is pervasive and often stomach turningly graphic, but what is perhaps most unnerving is the tact, patience and care with which Mr. McQueen depicts its causes and effects.
- The first-time director's unflinching camera, deliberate pacing and maddeningly long takes just amplify the story's innate harshness and test audience endurance levels.
- 60New York Daily NewsJoe NeumaierNew York Daily NewsJoe NeumaierAn emotionally devastating drama that isn't for the squeamish.
- 50The Hollywood ReporterRay BennettThe Hollywood ReporterRay BennettTrite, grim and feebly provocative.