Critic Reviews

• Matt Zoller Seitz, New York Times

  The mawkish yet weirdly mesmerizing film Badland is independent in scale but aggressively Hollywood in storytelling.

• Kyle Smith, New York Post

  The year's dullest movie has arrived: the deeply silly Badland, which is as dead as winter and twice as long.

• Jack Mathews, New York Daily News

  Possibly the worst idea for a movie this century.

• Kevin Thomas, Los Angeles Times

  Expertly constructed and beautifully photographed, Badland easily sustains its 160-minute running time, and the portrayals of Draven, a British actor, and 9-year-old Fulton can stand alongside the year's best.

• Robert Koehler, Variety

  The raw material would seem to be in place for a strong, moving contemporary tragedy, but scene after endless scene fails to come to life.

• Michael Rechtshaffen, Hollywood Reporter

  When the picture gets around to its calculated socko ending, the viewer has long been pummeled into a state of numbness.

• Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat, Spirituality and Practice

  An unrelentingly bleak and depressing drama about an Iraqi war veteran who is unable to deal with his rage.

• Ron Wilkinson, Monsters and Critics

  Exploiting what it is supposed to renounce, Badland combines a dreadfully long and dull screenplay and extremely plain surroundings to make a well-meaning anti-war film you'll want to miss.

• Ross Anthony, Hollywood Report Card

  Some good performances. But, the overall disturbing atmosphere of the film is more than I prefer. That said, I appreciate the effort to raise awareness of PTSD.

• Eric Monder, Film Journal International

  Badland takes a step in the right direction by attempting to understand the aftermath of war.

• Rob Humanick, Slant Magazine

  Until the mess in the Middle East has found its way to a resolution, we can continue to expect films like Badland as part of the collateral damage in the War on Terror.

• Ken Fox, TV Guide's Movie Guide

  Clocking in at just under three hours, writer-director Francesco Lucente's earnest attempt at making an Iraq War-era Coming Home says many things at once without much perspective or clarity.

• Jay Antani, Boxoffice Magazine

  Offensive to all and on every level, Badland tops the landfill of this year's worst.

• Kam Williams, NewsBlaze

  At least half the celluloid should have hit the editing room floor, since this one-trick road flick revolves around Jerry's constantly contemplating suicide and belatedly bonding with his daughter while eluding the authorities.

Read all 14 critic reviews