Critic Reviews

• Robert Koehler, Variety

  A no-nonsense dramatic response to the LAPD Rampart scandals of the '90s.

• Richard Roeper, Ebert & Roeper

  We get it. All of you guys watched the Tarantino movies and you watched the Peckinpah movies. Enough, give us something original.

• Stephen Whitty, Newark Star-Ledger

  This isn't a film made by someone who knows anything about cops. It's a film made by someone who's seen a lot of cop movies.

• Jack Mathews, New York Daily News

  The machinations of the plot are so murky as to be not worth following.

• Lou Lumenick, New York Post

  The only suspense is how long it's going to take for this movie to finally drag to an end.

• Kevin Crust, Los Angeles Times

  As good as the leads and the supporting cast are, and as much action as gets packed into the film's relatively brief running time, none of it draws us in dramatically.

• Lewis Beale, Film Journal International

  Dirty is a solid ride, and deserves recognition if only because it affords Gooding the chance to reaffirm his acting chops.

• Luke Y. Thompson, LYTRules.com

  Fisher goes a bit too over the top with a couple of conventions that I wish he'd rein in.

• Jules Brenner, Cinema Signals

  This picture of it is poppin' blanks at too many turns to be considered honest nor a reflection of the real deal.

• David Nusair, Reel Film Reviews

  ...although Dirty isn't much better than some of his earlier efforts, one can't help but admire Gooding Jr's willingness to portray such an irredeemably nasty character.

• Frank Ochieng, Movie Eye

  DIRTY boasts about a wayward police drama that needs considerable conscientious washing. Sadly, this perfunctory scrub job simply attacks the same old neglected stained areas.

• Tim Cogshell, Boxoffice Magazine

  The cinematography of Eliot Rockett is also laudable: The city is not only rendered in the usual hot and gritty texture of urban landscapes, but is imbued with sense of oppression that is palpable.

• Maitland McDonagh, TV Guide's Movie Guide

  Even the stunningly downbeat ending smacks of sub-Tarantinoesque theatrics.

• Brent Simon, FilmStew.com

  As the villain, Wyclef Jean exercises an impression-as-accent of John Malkovich's character from Rounders in turn impersonating a member of the Jamaican bobsled team.

• Dan Fienberg, Zap2it.com

  Capturing LA as a sepia-toned, sunbaked wasteland just isn't fresh. Why must every LA cop drama take place on the hottest day of the year just as the city is about to explode?

• , E! Online

  The intentions are sincere, but you'll want to take a good shower after sitting through this mess.

• Fred Topel, About.com

  While I have no doubt that real corrupt cops use language like this, it sounds like these actors don't actually know what the words mean. They sound like eighth graders... like Anthony Anderson and Taye Diggs in Malibu's Most Wanted pretending not

• Scott Foundas, L.A. Weekly

  Like the best pulp, though, it gets its hooks into you faster than you can start to wonder why you should possibly care about what happens to any of its despicable characters, and, before you know it, you've been pulled deep into its Dantean vision.

Read all 18 critic reviews