The Monk (2011)

Critic Reviews

• Christopher Tookey, Daily Mail [UK]

  Vincent Cassel does his utmost to make his character intense and compelling, but negligible character development means he fails to hold our interest.

• , Film4

  All talk, no action, The Monk looks good but is weighed down by the Catholic guilt it's trying to critique.

• Andrew Osmond, SFX Magazine

  Studded with lovely painterly images, but ends up feeling cramped and stagey.

• Sam Bathe, Fan The Fire

  Moll's careful direction ensures a balance of the supernatural and the temporal - Ambrosio could either be seen as a victim of demonic forces within his own monastery or the sole architect of his moral downfall.

• Tim Robey, Daily Telegraph

  The movie broods like nobody's business, setting us up for a temptingly black slab of cassocks-off ecclesiastical depravity.

• Philip French, Observer [UK]

  A rather dull offering - tasteful horror for the carriage trade.

• Tara Brady, Irish Times

  If it weren't for The Cabin in the Woods we'd call it the most disappointing denouement of the year.

• Anton Bitel, MovieScope

  A strange morality drama with its own unique mood, The Monk comes defrocked of its own shock, demanding that viewers bring their own Satan.

• , This is London

  The movie, though beautifully lit and full of atmosphere, fails to ignite, even when Geraldine Chaplin as a nasty mother superior is on screen.

• Peter Bradshaw, Guardian [UK]

  It is not a story of great depth or passion, but there are intriguing and unsettling moments on its well-crafted surface.

• Antonia Quirke, Financial Times

  It's a silly film - 1970s soft-porny - but not without a certain ominousness.

• Paul M. Bradshaw, Little White Lies

  The kind of film that works its magic after you leave the cinema.

• Tim Evans, Sky Movies

  Cassel is well cast as the virtuous priest and director Dominik Moll resists the temptation to ramp up the action, preferring to keep the devil's work insidious and quietly all-consuming.

• Henry Fitzherbert, Daily Express

  A dull B-movie with ideas above its station.

• Matthew Turner, ViewLondon

  Beautifully shot and superbly acted, this is an enjoyably dark Gothic romp, but it ultimately lacks any real emotional substance thanks to an abridged script that strips out both the novel's complexity and its more outlandish excesses.

• Dave Calhoun, Time Out

  The photography and design are high points, with a night-time religious procession that is very freaky indeed.

• Siobhan Synnot, Scotsman

  If you were hoping for a return to form for director Dominik Moll, your prayer has not been answered.

• Kim Newman, Empire Magazine

  It's interesting and unsettling, with a charismatic lead performance, but nowhere near as shocking as it should be.

• Matt Glasby, Total Film

  It's a while before Cassel fully embraces his dark side, yet his customary charisma is what seals The Monk's redemption.

• Miles Fielder, The List

  [Moll's] most ambitious film yet.

Read all 20 critic reviews