Brian Banks
critic Reviews
, 63% Fresh Tomatometer Score- While it remains a reasonably inspiring drama, Brian Banks might have presented a more complex or fully realized version of the real-life story it dramatizes.
- , Fresh Tomatometer ScoreTim CogshellFilmWeek (KPCC - NPR Los Angeles)
This is a perfectly serviceable movie -- it's a drama, it's well-acted, it's well-written. It's working, generally speaking.
Read full article - , Rotten Tomatometer ScoreRobert Daniels812filmreviews
The emancipation Brian Banks depicts becomes narrative chains in its wake.
Read full article - , Fresh Tomatometer ScoreLeah PickettChicago Reader
Hodge's resolute performance anchors the film, while the nuanced screenplay from Doug Atchison and lush visual language from cinematographer Ricardo Diaz push it several rungs above prosaic TV-movie-style fare.
Read full article - , Fresh Tomatometer ScoreRichard RoeperChicago Sun-Times
Brian Banks almost never surprises us. We know where the story is going. (If it didn't go a certain way, there would be no movie.) Still, it's a well-constructed, well-acted, solidly told tale.
Read full article - , Rotten Tomatometer ScorePeter TraversRolling Stone
The true story of a football player falsely accused of sexual assault is lifted by Aldis Hodge in the title role but brought low by a flat, formulaic telling.
Read full article - , Rotten Tomatometer ScoreAdam GrahamDetroit News
[A] well-intentioned film crippled by its dramatic structure.
Read full article - , Fresh Tomatometer ScoreM.N. MillerReady Steady Cut
Brian Banks is an effective indictment of the business of the criminal justice system when politics dictate someone eventually has to pay for the people’s investment, whether they are guilty or innocent.
Read full article - , Fresh Tomatometer ScoreCharles KoplinskiReel Talk with Chuck and Pam
There are also great life lessons in this film that will inspire both teens and adults.
Read full article - , Fresh Tomatometer ScoreRichard PropesTheIndependentCritic.com
Shadyac frames it wisely by shooting the film in non-chronological order and allowing us to become immersed in Banks as a human being.
Read full article - , Fresh Tomatometer ScoreJoanne LaurierWorld Socialist Web Site
The movie is an intelligent and heartfelt account of a serious miscarriage of justice.
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