User Score

Generally favorable reviews- based on 157 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Negative: 12 out of 157

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  1. Feb 7, 2013
    -fractured, intense, painful structure and stories reflect the presence of death -colorful characters with complex backgrounds and strong acting combine with the intensity of the structure -audience left with same discomfort and need for rest as characters
  2. Jan 27, 2013
  3. Nov 8, 2012
  4. j30
    Sep 4, 2011
    Great editing and acting performances. It's a hard movie to watch because of the subject matter, but don't let that detour you away from the movie.
  5. Jul 4, 2011

  6. Jul 3, 2011
    Well done acting, well done story and well done directing. The film is definitely worth buying on DVD and devours the watcher in the tale it's telling.
  7. Apr 24, 2011
  8. Aug 29, 2010
  9. caporegime
    Jun 10, 2009
    So trying hard to make things complicated and ending up making this film boring enough to doze of my adrenalin of caffeine.
  10. LeviS.
    Jan 22, 2009
    Easaly one of the best drama movies I've seen to date. The non-lineair structure makes it unique and keeps you focused on the movie, the story is very dark and emotional, but it doesn't exceed the limits of what's good and the visuals of this movie are just stunning,it looks like Iñárritu carefully selected the lightning, background, clothing of the actors and camera type, to optimise the colors, brightness and contrast, which makes it truly a piece of visual poetry. Expand
  11. PaulW.
    Mar 6, 2008
  12. lewis
    Nov 20, 2007
    My favorite movie , great picture, awesome acting , it shows the sad reality of life and the struggle for a better one after we fall.
  13. jw
    Aug 11, 2007
    (9.5) Naomi Watts did not win the Oscar that year. An uglified Charlize Theron did instead. Forgetting the last two presidential elections, this may be the worst voting result in history. ...Penn and del Toro aren't exactly slouches either, are they? Their bookending performances only serve to highlight the travesty. One cannot shine so brightly in their company and not come away with a statue. Expand
  14. IsaacC.
    Jul 4, 2007
    Arguably the best film of 2004. Benicio Del Toro as usual acts the socks of everyone else around him. Although the story is far too conveniently artistic to ever be considered as anything resembling any kind of reality it grips you and shakes violently from start to finish. My one grievance with this film is that although the rewards for those who are patient enough to accept the initially incomprehensible first half hour on good faith are great, on second and third viewing the film becomes slow, the tension is gone and the story becomes trite. As someone who continuously re-watches my favourite films with little or no loss of enjoyment I am left with one question: Is a film worth watching if you can only see it once? Expand
  15. oldboych
    Jul 13, 2006
    acting was over and the actor are too emotional. and why can the girls in this film seem very stupid? very loyal and sure with a math prof and poor ex-prisoner. In my opinion they better leave the guy in that situation.
  16. AmurabiM.
    Jun 23, 2006
  17. PaulF.
    Apr 17, 2005
    This was both Sean Penn's and Benicio Del Toro's best movie period. Among many things I enjoyed the mixed time sequence though seemingly chaotic it made perfect sense at the end. The acting could not have been more perfect but better than that was the movies spiritual message which was tremendously positive. This is hard to do in a movie dealing with such dark subjects. I highly recommend this movie for anyone that is interested in deep thought and spiritual issues. Expand
  18. T.M.
    Feb 28, 2005
    I didn't care for this film the first time I saw it. II found the ending too protracted and the characters inconsistent, and overall I was disappointed. because I knew it had garnered much critical acclaim. But then I watched it a second time, understood it much better, and fell in love with it. Now I consider it one of the best films of 2003. Moving, powerful, profound, ironic, stark, realistic, and accurate in its portayal of American social classes. The actors took the meat in their roles and made from that it a unique, unforgettable stew. Expand
  19. DavidC.
    Jan 31, 2005
    Concentrate from the start and you will be rewarded with a very powerful move about redemption and a man's attempt to become a good person.
  20. JayS.
    Nov 9, 2004
    Brilliant and earthshattering. If this didn't win best picture and Watts best actress for this, there's no justice. Toro and Penn are pitch perfect. The best movie I've seen in 3 years.
  21. GunterP.
    Nov 1, 2004
    Maybe the best movie from last year.
  22. TyS
    Aug 29, 2004
    The most amazing film I have seen in ages. As a reviewer put it best when he said "you can taste it ". SUPERB !!!
  23. JedG.
    Jul 15, 2004
  24. MaggieM.
    Jun 29, 2004
    Beautiful, dark, and superbly acted. My only problem was the abrupt ending.
  25. GinoE.
    Jun 5, 2004
    It starts like a complete mess, but after a while it starts to make sence. Never I've seen so many short scenes switch from time to time. Not everyone will understand this movie and I can't blame them. Mr. Arriaga really tryed to make it as complex as possible. The performances are great! No doubt about it, but the wole leaves you in a very depressed state. And somewhere deep inside you know that you would have felt much better if you didn't watch it. But if you really need to depress yourself, and none of your friends and relatives are up for the job...this is the one! Expand
  26. SteveY.
    May 30, 2004
    After reading the reviews from the "professionals" and then the reviews of the "amateurs" (I obviously am in that group), I find it hard to believe that anyone would have walked away from that movie without realizing the realities of life that occur everday. I don't know the director (had never even heard of him or his work until this film)... but this film is reality regardless of how detached some may have felt the characters were from a true personality. Admittedly, we weren't given enough about Penn's character's background nor Watts's, however the events that surround them are very real and I think that is what the true meaning of this movie was. I suffer from CHF (heart failure myself at the age of 33). I have a 5 year old daughter that I absolutely adore and I love my wife. Jesus, the events of that movie could become my life at any given moment with the right order of events occuring. My point is simply... it was real. It was also depressing and I cried and it moved me deeply but not because I can relate to Penn's character having heart disease... but because of the death of the little girls. And del Toro's performance was absolutely stunning because there are people that no matter how hard they try everything they touch turns to shit. I've often thought of what I would do if my wife or child were taken from me and 21 Grams made me confront those thoughts again, however it also showed me what the other side of the coin could possibly look like through del Toro's character. Anyone, professional or amateur who didn't "get" that movie or found that the timeline was confusing needs to either experience life for a few more years and revisit this film or for the old timers who didn't like it, they should put down their cup of coffee, get a good night's rest and try watching it again and try paying close attention to it the second time... it was a movie that demanded equal attention from your brain and your heart equally. The events within 21 Grams could happen to anyone in an instant. This was simply a brilliant movie as heartbreaking as it was for me on a personal level. It was a tragedy in its truest form and an artistic masterpiece reflective of human kind's collective soul. Expand
  27. BitBurn
    May 23, 2004
    Deep & a good way!
  28. BenA.
    May 2, 2004
    Great ensemble performance. The characters were well made. The director made sure that we cared about all the characters--not just the likable ones. Many directors neglect to do that. However I'm getting rather sick of the chopped up timeline. It's overdone. It's good when it's necessary, but this movie could have been better without it I think. It had a good premise, but it didn't click as much as it could have. Expand
  29. DamianP.
    Apr 15, 2004
    The story was drab and the director's style annoyed me. Best avoided.
  30. ShawnA.
    Apr 2, 2004
    Great acting but really depressing, I walked out of this feeling like crud, that's not the way i felt when i walked out of Boys Don't Cry or Schindler's List. So it's not just the subject matter that made me depressed, it's just the movie.

Generally favorable reviews - based on 41 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 31 out of 41
  2. Negative: 5 out of 41
  1. A stunning virtuoso performance by director, cast and crew. This movie knocks you out with an astonishing blend of hyper-realism, visual complexity and powerful themes.
  2. Reviewed by: Glenn Kenny
    Too-laborious meditation on life and death.
  3. It’s forceful, to be sure, but in a lurid way that suggests a telenovela that’s been baking in the sun too long.