Critic Reviews

• Michael Freidson, Time Out New York

  The film maintains a convincing realism: It's acted out by little-known but expert talents and shot, cleverly, as though the camera were a fly on the wall.

• A.O. Scott, New York Times

  [T]his [...] film by Randolph Kret mistakes the study of a particularly virulent set of symptoms for a diagnosis... Nuance is not something Mr. Kret has much use for.

• Michael Atkinson, Village Voice

  [I]n no time flat you get a clear idea of how broadly painted and platitudinous Randolph Kret's Pariah is [...] If only being right were all you needed.

• Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times

  Pariah, a raw and unblinking look at the skinhead subculture, is a movie I'd like to show to those admirers of Fight Club who have assured me of their movie's greatness. This is the real thing...

• Kevin Thomas, Los Angeles Times

  There's no doubting the ability of [director Randolph] Kret [...] in working up an audience and drawing persuasive performances from a sizable cast.

• Bill Gibron, DVDTalk.com

  It's just a shame that Pariah gets lost in its own desire to be true to its source. A little editorial control and this could have been something special.

• Kathleen McInnis, MovieMaker Magazine

  As hard as it is to watch, Director/Writer Randolph Kret's film does exactly what it's supposed to do...

• Ken Fox, TV Guide's Movie Guide

  Take a tip from the title: Shun this well-meaning but ridiculous revenge drama about a vicious gang of bone-headed, California neo-Nazis and the man hell-bent on destroying them.

• Michael Dequina, TheMovieReport.com

  There are plenty jolting episodes of rage and violence, but in the end this pulpy potboiler is wrapped up in an unsatisfyingly tidy, coincidence-heavy bow.

• , Film Threat

  Pariah is [...] a brave, in-your-face attempt to handle a very tough, highly unattractive subject. The result is a commendable, if unpleasant, near miss.

• , Boxoffice Magazine

  Randolph Kret['s ...] direction forcefully shows how the raw hatred of the skinheads regularly explodes into shocking brutality.

• Harvey S. Karten, Compuserve

  Randolph Kret's movie is thrown together helter-skelter, scenes popping up before our eyes without rhyme or reason, but the picture is so visceral, has no much damn frenetic energy, that it compels our attention.

• Christopher Null, Filmcritic.com

  does a lot with a little, but it's still not much

• Marc Savlov, Austin Chronicle

  For all its chutzpah and idealism, Pariah remains a muddled mess, a far cry from Australian director Geoffrey Wright's seminal Romper Stomper, which this film clearly strives to emulate...

• MaryAnn Johanson, Flick Filosopher

  Pariah, like a through-the-looking-glass version of American History X, is brutally raw and often difficult to watch, but this low-budget indie is an important film that deserves to be seen by a large audience.

• Carlo Cavagna, AboutFilm.com

  Though Kret does a poor job of telling it, there is a story struggling to be heard amid the chaos

Read all 16 critic reviews