77
Metascore
20 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 90The Hollywood ReporterMichael RechtshaffenThe Hollywood ReporterMichael RechtshaffenThe Dark Horse is an emotionally potent story of redemption anchored by a heart-piercing lead performance from Cliff Curtis.
- 90VarietyPeter DebrugeVarietyPeter DebrugeThe Dark Horse is as good a title as any for a film that takes an overplayed genre — the inspirational mentor story — and still manages to surprise, sneaking up to deliver a powerful emotional experience within a formula we all know by heart
- 80EmpireDavid HughesEmpireDavid HughesThe heartfelt telling of a truly extraordinary true story with a mesmerising central performance.
- 80Time Out LondonCath ClarkeTime Out LondonCath ClarkeIt’s a film with the texture and truth of life, and at its heart is a beautiful performance by Cliff Curtis, who never in a million years will be nominated for an Oscar, but deserves one.
- 80CineVueBen NicholsonCineVueBen NicholsonThe deft and highly emotive handling of his condition and the wider ramifications of his story make The Dark Horse a lot more than merely the against-the-odds chess story that it may initially appear to be.
- 75Slant MagazineElise NakhnikianSlant MagazineElise NakhnikianDespite the occasional cliché, this film mostly feels as messy as life, and as movingly complicated.
- 70Village VoiceBilge EbiriVillage VoiceBilge EbiriJames Napier Robertson's film combines several potentially tired subgenres — the inspirational-teacher drama, the mental illness drama, and the gang thriller — but, helped immeasurably by Curtis's performance, makes something new out of them.
- 67The A.V. ClubJesse HassengerThe A.V. ClubJesse HassengerThe Dark Horse may not entirely work as a film, but it has an unexpected amount of gritty idiosyncrasy on its side.
- 60The GuardianBenjamin LeeThe GuardianBenjamin LeeThe script could have done without the odd bout of heavy-handed chess symbolism (“a king for a king”) but it’s a solidly entertaining drama with an intriguingly unconventional lead.
- 60The TelegraphMike McCahillThe TelegraphMike McCahillRobertson gives himself and his actors time to ponder the board and build convincing relationships and tensions: he’s especially deft around his younger performers, allowing them to register as distinct, often defiant personalities.