Todd McCarthy of "Variety" gave the film a positive review stating, "In all respects an extremely ambitious follow-up to their crackling debut, "Menace II Society", the Hughes Brothers' mordant "Dead Presidents" may eventually box itself into a narrative dead end, but its muscular engagement of weighty themes and explosive situations makes it a powerful drama." Kenneth Turan of the "Los Angeles Times" called the film "both expected and surprising, familiar and yet somehow different. Made with fluid skill and a passion for storytelling, its tale of how the Vietnam War and American society affect a black Marine remains accessible while confounding expectations."