Outlaw opened to highly negative reviews from critics upon its release; the "Daily Mirror" slammed the film, calling it 'simplistic' and 'muddled' and giving it 2/5 and 1/5 in their Friday and Sunday issues respectively. The "Guardian" described it as "ugly, naive and deeply unpleasant: crime-revenge-porn without any style or wit or convincing narrative". Ali Catterall of "Channel 4 Film" described the film as "Death Wish" written by the "Daily Mail". "Empire Magazine" panned it in their 1 star assessment, stating that the film "descends into a sickening sludge of childish politics, brutality and creative swearing".