30
Metascore
9 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 75Philadelphia InquirerCarrie RickeyPhiladelphia InquirerCarrie RickeyIf Martin Scorsese updated "The Roaring Twenties," the classic Jimmy Cagney movie about World War I vets who come home and find that the only jobs available are with gang lords and bootleggers, it would look a lot like Sean Kirkpatrick's rookie feature, Cost of a Soul.
- 60The Hollywood ReporterKirk HoneycuttThe Hollywood ReporterKirk HoneycuttWhile Kirkpatrick does a fine job in establishing a gritty inner-city milieu and a collection of more than credible street characters caught up in an endless cycle of crime and violence, his body count reaches the proportions of the worst sort of studio schlock. Going for a shock effect, he instead strains credulity and risks unintended laughs.
- 60New York Daily NewsJoe NeumaierNew York Daily NewsJoe NeumaierThough it's rough around the edges, it is also, undeniably, a nervy, confident debut.
- 42The A.V. ClubNoel MurrayThe A.V. ClubNoel MurrayIt's a lousy movie, but it has spunk.
- 30Village VoiceNick SchagerVillage VoiceNick SchagerKirkpatrick's color-deficient visual scheme is sturdy, but it can't compensate for a mechanical, unsubtle script.
- 20Time OutDavid FearTime OutDavid FearPerformances barely meet a junior-collegiate theater-troupe level, the narration hits maxi-fromage heights, and just when you think it can't get any more derivative, out comes a glowing suitcase à la "Pulp Fiction." Rock bottom has now been firmly established.
- 20The New York TimesJeannette CatsoulisThe New York TimesJeannette CatsoulisAs one bloody encounter treads on the heels of the next, all that remains is a tiny indie undone by its own vicious ambitions.
- 12New York PostKyle SmithNew York PostKyle SmithRookie director Sean Kirkpatrick keeps stomping on the drama pedal while blowing the cliché horn, yielding scene after tired scene of predictable developments as the principals keep shoving guns into mouths and screaming obscenities.