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Parents' Guide to

Criminal

By Jeffrey Anderson, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 17+

Brutally violent sci-fi thriller doesn't make much sense.

Movie R 2016 113 minutes
Criminal Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

Community Reviews

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age 17+

Based on 3 parent reviews

Estera T.
Estera T. Adult
August 1, 2020
age 14+

Interesting and emotional thriller

I didn't expect a movie like this to have a happy ending, but it did! I found this film engaging from start to finish. The characters are interesting, the high-quality cast did a great job (I love Gary Oldman and Gal Gadot), and the plot is pretty compelling. I also think the film was shot very well; there are a lot of beautiful shots of different places in London. The violence is a bit graphic sometimes, but it feels merited given the intense circumstances and the rather psychotic nature of some of the characters. I liked this movie a lot more than I expected it to; it had some touching moments as well as a few scenes I found oddly comedic in their context (the main character gains not only the dead CIA agent's memories but also some of his personality). If you can handle some intense scenes with swearing and violence, I think you'll find that this movie is quite an interesting watch.

This title has:

Great messages
Too much violence
Too much swearing
johnag
johnag Parent
July 27, 2016
age 18+

The Best

Great job. auratrends.co.uk
See all 3 parent reviews

What's the Story?

In London, CIA agent Bill Pope (Ryan Reynolds) is killed on the job before he can finish an important task. A computer hacker called the Dutchman (Michael Pitt), who has access to the entire arsenal of the United States military, has escaped from an anarchist (Jordi Molla), and only Bill knew where he was. So Dr. Franks (Tommy Lee Jones) uses a special technique to transfer Bill's memories into the brain of sociopathic prisoner Jericho (Kevin Costner). Jericho escapes and begins experiencing Bill's memories, even visiting Bill's widow (Gal Gadot). Jericho decides to try to find the Dutchman and a bag of money, but the anarchist's henchmen -- as well as the CIA -- are hot on his trail.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (3 ):
Kids say (2 ):

Trying to explain what happens in CRIMINAL is bad enough -- you run up against all the things that make no sense -- but then there's the clumsy, jumbled, thoughtless way it's all put together. Stories of characters receiving body parts or organs from mysterious donors have been done, but they're usually told as second-tier chillers with a measure of fun. Criminal is told seriously, without ever really considering the emotional ramifications of what would happen if you really had someone else's thoughts and feelings inside your head.

Poor Gadot, playing Bill's widow, Jill Pope, is asked to try to explore this proposition, and her weird acceptance of Jericho feels totally false. But she's not the only one who suffers in this movie. Gary Oldman's character, the chief of the London branch of the CIA, is constantly doing incredibly stupid things, and Alice Eve has very little character at all to play. Director Ariel Vromen, who did a decent job with The Iceman, seems totally at a loss with this one. It tells a muddled story in a way that doesn't work, and despite a terrific cast, it probably won't be of much interest to very many teens.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about the types of violence depicted in Criminal. Do they affect you differently? Is a straight-to-the-face punch more disturbing than a car explosion? Why or why not? What's the impact of media violence on kids? Does that impact change as kids get older?

  • Do you think the graphic violence was necessary to illustrate Jericho's lack of emotion? How else could this side of his character have been portrayed?

  • What would you consider the pros and cons of technology that would allow thoughts and feelings to be transferred from one brain to another? If someone you loved "returned" to you in another body, how do you think you might react?

  • Why do you think the anarchist in the movie wants to destroy governments, corporations, banks, etc.? What good would it do? What would take their place?

Movie Details

  • In theaters: April 15, 2016
  • On DVD or streaming: July 26, 2016
  • Cast: Gal Gadot , Kevin Costner , Gary Oldman
  • Director: Ariel Vromen
  • Inclusion Information: Female actors, Middle Eastern/North African actors
  • Studio: Summit Entertainment
  • Genre: Thriller
  • Run time: 113 minutes
  • MPAA rating: R
  • MPAA explanation: strong violence and language throughout
  • Last updated: December 8, 2022

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