61
Metascore
15 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 80Chicago ReaderChicago ReaderThis suspenseful, beautifully acted Dickensian drama forces us to confront our own bloodlust: do we root for the teen to win a moral victory or to beat the bad guy to a pulp?
- 75New York PostV.A. MusettoNew York PostV.A. MusettoDirector Mikael Hafstrom - the gentleman responsible for last year's Jennifer Aniston bomb "Derailed" - keeps us guessing as he confidently builds suspense.
- 70VarietyDavid StrattonVarietyDavid StrattonEvil is not, as the title would suggest, a horror film, at least not a conventional one. Based on the autobiographical novel by Jan Guillou and set in the mid-1950s, the film relates the experiences of a troubled young man who's enrolled into a hidebound private school.
- 70The Hollywood ReporterFrank ScheckThe Hollywood ReporterFrank ScheckAlthough Evil eventually suffers from its heavy-handed treatment of its subject, it is a well-made and engrossing melodrama.
- 67The A.V. ClubScott TobiasThe A.V. ClubScott TobiasIt's more about giving rich bullies the same comeuppance afforded to sneering wardens with bullwhips, and on those superficial grounds, it's reasonably gripping.
- 63TV Guide MagazineMaitland McDonaghTV Guide MagazineMaitland McDonaghThis didactic drama is set safely in the past and says nothing about the culture of conformity at all costs that hasn't been said before.
- 63Chicago TribuneChicago TribuneBullying is not easy to watch on screen, even--or perhaps especially--if the viewer had the fortune to avoid either side of the bully/bullied equation.
- 60The New York TimesStephen HoldenThe New York TimesStephen HoldenThe movie is as blunt as its title. It portrays such behavior as "evil" without offering any deep insights or revelations, beyond handing out the plot equivalent of a lollipop at the end of the movie as compensation for the vicarious anguish.
- 50Village VoiceBen KenigsbergVillage VoiceBen KenigsbergIs this an allegory against blind deference to fascism? It might be, but the root-for-the-Aryan-jock dramatics seem mildly fascist themselves.
- 50New York Daily NewsElizabeth WeitzmanNew York Daily NewsElizabeth WeitzmanHafstrom never finds the shades in his morality tale, so while Wilson is an intensely charismatic actor, all he can do is respond to relentless, escalating tortures. It's immensely unpleasant for him, and, frankly, not a whole lot better for us.