--- title: "Denial: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/film/denial/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/film/denial" critics_score: 65 critics_reviews: 20 licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # Denial (2016): what the critics said Critics' score 65 from 20 reviews: 11 positive, 6 mixed, 3 negative. Most critics come away respecting Denial more than they are stirred by it, but the lean is positive. The praise gathers around the courtroom and the people in it: Rachel Weisz as Deborah Lipstadt, Tom Wilkinson’s restrained barrister and Timothy Spall’s unsettling David Irving are each singled out repeatedly. Several reviews also credit the film for refusing to treat Holocaust denial as one side of a debate, and almost all of them call it timely. The reservations are about the filmmaking rather than the case. Many find Mick Jackson’s direction flat and televisual, the drama tamer than its subject, and Lipstadt, kept silent by her own legal team, too passive a lead. The spread is wide: Deadline finds it urgent and rewarding, while Variety calls it awkward and muddled and The Guardian finds it hammy. Between those poles sit a crowd of three-star verdicts that admire the argument and wish the film around it had more life. ## Evening Standard — David Sexton Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 12 September 2016. Festival review. Sexton finds Denial an efficient, compelling courtroom drama with a somber edge. He especially praises Tom Wilkinson’s commanding performance as barrister Richard Rampton. [Read the review](https://www.standard.co.uk/culture/film/toronto-film-festival-2016-denial-review-rachel-weisz-triumphs-in-courtroom-battle-over-truth-of-the-holocaust-a3342651.html) ## Little White Lies — Trevor Johnston Rating 3/4/3. 25 January 2017. Johnston finds the film well-meaning but ungainly, though its courtroom finale gives it a strong final-reel rally. He praises the taut courtroom performances and the force of its insistence on documented truth. [Read the review](https://lwlies.com/reviews/denial) ## The Hollywood Reporter — THR Staff Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 11 September 2016. Festival review. The critic finds the courtroom drama compelling and forceful, with few missteps. They single out Rachel Weisz’s riveting performance and the film’s balance of humor with its weighty subject. [Read the review](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/denial-review-927742/) ## IndieWire — David Ehrlich Rating B. 12 September 2016. Festival review. Ehrlich finds the courtroom drama compelling and urgently relevant, though he considers it middle-brow and not great cinema. He praises Tom Wilkinson’s restrained performance and the film’s refusal to treat Holocaust denial as a legitimate debate. [Read the review](https://www.indiewire.com/features/general/denial-review-rachel-weisz-holocaust-tiff-2016-1201725934/) ## Slant Magazine — Oleg Ivanov Rating 3/4. 27 September 2016. The review praises Denial as a passionate defense of reason and factual truth, though it finds the film deeply sober. It singles out Rachel Weisz’s lively, camp-tinged performance and the film’s portrayal of both Lipstadt and Irving as outsiders shaped by hardship. [Read the review](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/denial/) ## Los Angeles Times — Kenneth Turan Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 29 September 2016. Turan finds the film effective when its serious themes matter, despite awkward direction and stretches of standard-issue drama. He praises the script’s emphasis on Lipstadt’s struggle to accept the legal strategy of remaining silent. [Read the review](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/movies/la-et-mn-denial-review-20160926-snap-story.html) ## Screen Daily — Fionnuala Halligan Fi1m's normalised score 64/100 (inferred from the text). 12 September 2016. Festival review. The page identifies this as a Toronto review of Mick Jackson’s 2016 film, but the review text is behind a paywall. Its verdict and any specific praise or complaint are not visible. [Read the review](https://www.screendaily.com/reviews/denial-toronto-review/5109378.article) ## The AV Club — Jesse Hassenger Rating C+. 29 September 2016. Hassenger finds the film relevant but dull and only passably engaging as a courtroom procedural. He praises Timothy Spall’s chilling portrayal of David Irving, while criticizing the film’s flat, TV-movie-like presentation. [Read the review](https://www.avclub.com/denial-is-pretty-dull-for-a-film-with-so-much-chilling-1798188913) ## Radio Times — Terry Staunton Rating 3/5. The review finds the film thought-provoking and as gripping as a fictional courtroom drama. It praises the script for giving the story factual weight while avoiding preachiness. [Read the review](https://www.radiotimes.com/movie-guide/b-mpg2t5/denial/) ## Time Out — Tom Huddleston Rating 3/5. 12 September 2016. Huddleston finds the drama flatter than its extraordinary subject. He criticizes its lack of dramatic force in retelling the case of Holocaust-denying historian David Irving. [Read the review](https://www.timeout.com/movies/denial) ## Empire — Olly Richards Fi1m's normalised score 45/100 (inferred from the text). 23 January 2017. Richards finds the film timely and intellectually engaging, but ultimately airless and lacking emotional impact. He praises its treatment of the trial’s difficult questions and the courtroom sparring, while noting that Lipstadt feels underdeveloped. [Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/denial-review/) ## The Guardian — Nigel M Smith Rating 2/5. Festival review. The Guardian’s verdict is negative: despite its important subject and pedigree, the film feels like a flat, hammy legal drama. The review praises the Auschwitz visit for being sensitively handled and affecting. [Read the review](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2016/sep/12/denial-review-rachel-weisz-holocaust-david-irving-toronto-film-festival) ## Film Comment — Michael Sragow Fi1m's normalised score 35/100 (inferred from the text). Sragow finds the film’s subject timely but says the storytelling fails. The standfirst praises its timeliness while singling out storytelling as the weakness. [Read the review](https://www.filmcomment.com/deep-focus-denial/) ## Variety — Owen Gleiberman Fi1m's normalised score 30/100 (inferred from the text). 11 September 2016. Festival review. Gleiberman finds the courtroom drama awkward and muddled, unable to bring its important subject to life. He criticizes the film for making Lipstadt passive and failing to explain the legal strategy, though Irving’s eventual defeat is satisfying. [Read the review](https://variety.com/2016/film/reviews/denial-review-toronto-film-festival-rachel-weisz-1201857542/) ## Deadline — Pete Hammond Fi1m's normalised score 95/100 (inferred from the text). 28 September 2016. Hammond calls the film a vital, urgent, and richly rewarding drama. He especially praises Rachel Weisz’s performance and the filmmakers’ ability to make the courtroom story gripping and cinematic. [Read the review](https://deadline.com/2016/09/denial-review-rachel-weisz-tom-wilkinson-timothy-spall-1201827570/) ## Eye for Film — Jennie Kermode Fi1m's normalised score 82/100 (inferred from the text). 18 November 2016. Kermode finds the film powerful, thoughtful, and unusually sensitive, though she warns its appeal may be limited. She particularly praises Rachel Weisz’s nuanced performance and the film’s mature, restrained approach to its courtroom drama. [Read the review](https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/denial-2016-film-review-by-jennie-kermode) ## HeyUGuys — Stefan Pape Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). The critic finds the courtroom drama timely, compelling and effectively balanced. They single out Rachel Weisz’s lead performance and Timothy Spall’s unsettling portrayal of Irving. [Read the review](https://www.heyuguys.com/denial-review/) ## Den of Geek — David Crow Rating 4 out of 5. 27 September 2016. Crow finds the film a timely, cathartic cautionary tale, though not quite the riveting thriller it aims to be. He praises its strong ensemble performances and its fidelity to the historical record. [Read the review](https://www.denofgeek.com/movies/denial-review/) ## The Wrap — Steve Pond Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 12 September 2016. Festival review. The critic finds the film sturdy, satisfying, and effective despite its familiar courtroom-drama beats. They praise Jackson’s dignified restraint around the Holocaust, while noting that it costs the film some energy. [Read the review](https://www.thewrap.com/denial-toronto-review-are-there-echoes-of-donald-trump-in-rachel-weiszs-holocaust-drama/) ## Collider — Matt Goldberg Rating C-. 30 September 2016. Festival review. Goldberg finds the film timely but says its story fails by silencing its protagonist. He praises its engagement with the erosion of truth, while criticizing its clinical, pedantic approach. [Read the review](https://collider.com/denial-review-rachel-weisz/) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/film/denial.md