Some critics panned it as a trashy, pretentious look at a life of drug abuse and violence. Ted Fry of "The Seattle Times" was put off by the film's "despicable characterizations and hatefully misogynistic point of view" and also criticized "the excessive melodrama, lousy dialogue, clumsy acting, and generally nasty vibe," concluding that: "Dickerson does his talent a disservice by reaching for an operatic tone that's not supported by the material or his resources." Elizabeth Weitzman of the "New York Daily News" wrote that: "Racist, misogynistic and breathtakingly cynical, Dickerson's clichéd crime drama "Never Die Alone" shamelessly exploits the degradation of its irredeemable characters." Marc Savlov of "The Austin Chronicle" called it "a misogynistic, dull-witted bore," criticizing Dickerson for using "every known hip-hop hoodlum cliché" throughout the film and also having "plain bad acting, camerawork (courtesy of Matthew Libatique, who keeps the grainy, dark feel of a poorly lit Super-8 running throughout), and even scoring." He concluded that: "If "Never Die Alone" had even a smidgeon of comic relief (or even, say, a bunch of zombies) to offset some of its relentlessly downbeat brutality, it might have been at best tolerable. But it doesn't, and it's not."