47
Metascore
12 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 75The Seattle TimesJohn HartlThe Seattle TimesJohn HartlAlthough it's overly melodramatic and lacks the poetry and shading that could have turned it into a Latino Godfather, it comes considerably closer to that goal than last year's remarkably similar American Me, in which the central characters were never as carefully or sympathetically drawn. For all its flaws, Taylor Hackford has never directed a more interesting film. [28 May 1993, p.16]
- 67Entertainment WeeklyOwen GleibermanEntertainment WeeklyOwen GleibermanWhat the movie needed was the kind of dark explosion of star temperament that Sean Penn brought to 1983’s Bad Boys. Still, give Hackford this: He does a vivid job of taking you places you may not think you’d want to go.
- 63ReelViewsJames BerardinelliReelViewsJames BerardinelliA passable motion picture that features several memorable scenes. It's not a masterpiece, but neither is it a waste of time.
- 60The New York TimesVincent CanbyThe New York TimesVincent CanbyBound by Honor looks and sounds authentic but, like many community wall paintings, it has the manner less of one artist's vision than of a community endeavor. This may explain its singular shortcomings and its redeeming sincerity.
- 50Chicago Sun-TimesRoger EbertChicago Sun-TimesRoger EbertBound by Honor contains some effective performances, some moments of deeply felt truth, and a portrait of prison life that I assume is accurate. What seems to be missing is a clear idea of why the movie was made, and what the director, Taylor Hackford, wanted to say with it.
- 50Producer-director Taylor Hackford clearly wants this to be a major cinematic exploration of the Latino experience, from its ponderous near-three-hour length to its more-than-occasional sermonizing. Unfortunately, disjointed storytelling and uneven performances undermine those aspirations.
- 50Miami HeraldRene RodriguezMiami HeraldRene RodriguezIt's surprising to see a three-hour movie about Chicanos being distributed by a major studio, and Hackford had an opportunity to do something special. Instead, he simply gives us more of the same. [30 Apr 1993, p.G5]
- At the end, you feel dusty and worn and are prone to think of other talents who gave similar territory much more life.
- 40Los Angeles TimesKenneth TuranLos Angeles TimesKenneth TuranA sincere attempt at epic filmmaking, it has been unable to translate its aspirations into believable, non-cliched cinema. What unrolls instead is approximately three hours of violent, cartoonish posturing incongruously set in the realistically evoked milieu of East Los Angeles. [30 Apr 1993, p.F1]
- 20EmpireEmpireIn this stereotypically-fuelled moralistic gangster movie, the plot is poor, the acting worse and standing at three hours, proves about three hours too long.