---
title: "Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves"
year: 2023
kind: "film"
canonical: "https://film.one/film/dungeons-and-dragons-honor-among-thieves"
fi1m_id: "dungeons-and-dragons-honor-among-thieves"
imdb_id: "tt2906216"
tmdb_id: 493529
wikidata_id: "Q105554572"
fi1m_score: 73
critics_score: 77
critics_reviews: 12
published: "2026-09-10"
updated: "2026-09-18T08:38:09.310103+00:00"
region: "US"
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."
---

# Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves (2023)

Directed by Jonathan Goldstein, John Francis Daley · 2h 14m · MPA PG-13 · Adventure, Fantasy, Comedy

## Identity

Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves

- **Canonical:** https://film.one/film/dungeons-and-dragons-honor-among-thieves
- **Type:** Film
- **Fi1m ID:** dungeons-and-dragons-honor-among-thieves
- **IMDb ID:** tt2906216
- **TMDB ID:** 493529
- **Wikidata ID:** Q105554572
- **Same entity:** https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2906216/, https://www.themoviedb.org/movie/493529, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q105554572

**Fi1m score: 73** · Critics 77 from 12 reviews

*In a sentence:* Chris Pine talks his way past guards, a paladin and a fat dragon, and nearly past the running time

> Daley and Goldstein have made a heist comedy in fantasy dress, and when it is small, five people bickering in a graveyard or a druid running through a castle, it is a pleasure. When it is big, it is loud, grey and long.

## Synopsis

Edgin (Chris Pine), a bard turned thief, and Holga (Michelle Rodriguez), a barbarian, are serving time in a frozen prison for a robbery that went wrong. They break out at their own parole hearing and head for the city of Neverwinter, where Edgin’s daughter Kira (Chloe Coleman) has been left in the care of their old partner Forge (Hugh Grant). Forge is now the city’s lord and has a wizard, Sofina (Daisy Head), at his elbow. To get Kira back, Edgin recruits a sorcerer with no confidence, Simon (Justice Smith), and a shapeshifting druid, Doric (Sophia Lillis), and plans a heist. A paladin, Xenk (Jean Page), points the way. John Francis Daley and Jonathan Goldstein direct.

## Review

John Francis Daley and Jonathan Goldstein’s *Dungeons & Dragons: Honour Among Thieves* is a heist comedy that happens to have wizards in it, and it is fond of the game rather than solemn about it. For its first hour that is a pleasure. Then the fights get bigger and the pleasure thins.

Edgin (Chris Pine) is a bard who gave up the lute for burglary, and Holga (Michelle Rodriguez) is the barbarian who hits things while he talks. We meet them in prison, where Edgin uses his parole hearing to tell the story of how they got there, and the film’s method is set in that scene: he talks, and the plan is usually worse than the talking. Back in Neverwinter, their old partner Forge (Hugh Grant) has become lord of the city and has kept Edgin’s daughter Kira (Chloe Coleman) as his own. Getting her back means a robbery, and a robbery means a crew.

The crew is the film. Justice Smith’s Simon is a sorcerer who cannot make a spell work when anyone is watching, and Smith plays the nerves rather than the jokes, which is why the jokes land. Sophia Lillis’s Doric is a druid who would rather be an owlbear than a person. Pine and Rodriguez have an ease together that most screen pairs never manage, and the script, by Daley, Goldstein and Michael Gilio, never makes them a couple. Grant does the thing Grant does now, a smiling man who is lying and slightly delighted to be caught at it, and Amanda Monk dresses him in velvet and rings.

The two best sequences are the smallest. In a graveyard, Simon casts a spell that lets a corpse answer exactly five questions, and the crew waste them on pleasantries, dig up another, and do it again, and Dan Lebental cuts each repetition tighter than the last until the final corpse is a punchline before it has opened its mouth. We laughed out loud, twice, and were not expecting to. Later Doric flees a castle by changing shape mid-stride, fly to mouse to deer to owlbear, and Barry Peterson’s camera follows her through what has been stitched to look like one unbroken take, along corridors, over a wall and into a river. It is the one place the digital work does something a camera could not.

Jean Page arrives partway through as Xenk, a paladin so upright he cannot recognise a joke, and Page plays him without a flicker. Every line Pine throws at him bounces off. He is the reason a number of critics have been kinder to the middle act than we are.

The trouble is scale. Every time the film stops talking and starts fighting, it looks like every other film of its size. Ray Chan has built a proper Neverwinter, timber and stone and a market you could walk through, but the arena where the last act happens is a grey bowl full of grey pixels. Daisy Head’s Sofina, the wizard behind Forge, is asked to scowl and hover and little else. Lorne Balfe’s score thunders through all of it at a single volume. By the last fight we had stopped following who was hitting whom and started checking the time. At 134 minutes the film is a good half hour longer than its best version.

Daley and Goldstein made *Game Night*, a comedy about ordinary people caught in a plot too big for them, and they have brought its rhythms here. Fantasy has not had many of these since the eighties, when [*The Princess Bride*](https://film.one/film/the-princess-bride) and *Willow* were allowed to be silly and sincere in the same scene. What those two had that this one lacks is a danger we believed in between the jokes.

Take the children; the 12A is earned by nothing worse than a few skewered guards and a dragon that has let itself go. The people on the sofa who have never rolled a die will follow every word, which is what the tagline promises, and the ones who have will spot things the rest of you will not and be insufferable about it for a week.

*Fi1m score 73, published 10 September 2026.*

## What the critics say

Most critics like it, and they like it for the same reasons. The consensus is that the directors are right to play the material for comedy rather than solemnity, and comparisons to The Princess Bride come up more than once. The praise clusters on the cast: the easy, equal partnership between Chris Pine and Michelle Rodriguez, Hugh Grant’s comic villainy and Regé-Jean Page’s scene-stealing turn. Several reviews also credit the film with capturing the spirit of a tabletop game for people who have never rolled a die.

The reservations are mild and scattered rather than pointed. A few reviews find the middle section baggy or the story over-explained; others call the CGI flat and the whole thing pleasant but not especially memorable. The spread is narrow, with almost every review positive. The clearest dissent comes from Slant Magazine, which finds it a formulaic, Marvel-style blockbuster embarrassed by its source, and from the Los Angeles Times, which admires the charisma but says it never quite gels.

## Straight answers

**Is Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves worth watching?**

*Dungeons & Dragons: Honour Among Thieves* is worth watching if you want a heist comedy with wizards in it, and we scored it 73. The crew's bickering is the pleasure, and the graveyard scene made us laugh out loud, but at 134 minutes the film is a good half hour too long and the big fights are loud and grey. Nobody needs to know the game to follow it.

**How long is Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves, and what is it rated?**

*Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves* runs 2h 14m and is rated PG-13 by the MPA in the US. It is an adventure and fantasy film.

**Where can I watch Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves in the US?**

*Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves* is streaming on Netflix, Paramount+, The Roku Channel, Apple TV and Amazon Prime Video in the US, and it is also available to rent from Amazon Prime Video and Apple TV from $3.99. Availability is checked daily; the links above go straight to each service.

**How violent or frightening is Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves, and is it suitable for children?**

*Dungeons & Dragons: Honour Among Thieves* is a 12A and a mild one, with nothing worse than a few skewered guards and a dragon that has let itself go. Children who can sit through a long fantasy adventure will be fine, and the film is played for laughs rather than fright. The final battle is more tiring than alarming.

**How does Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves compare to The Princess Bride?**

*Dungeons & Dragons: Honour Among Thieves* is working from the model of [*The Princess Bride*](https://film.one/film/the-princess-bride), silly and sincere in the same breath, and the earlier film is the better of the two. Reiner's fairy tale takes its characters seriously and keeps a danger you believe in between the jokes; Daley and Goldstein's film loses that whenever it stops talking and starts fighting. Watch the older one first.

**What should I watch after Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves?**

After *Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves*, try [*The Princess Bride*](https://film.one/film/the-princess-bride) (1987, Fi1m 86): Silly and sincere in the same breath; the model this film is working from. Then [*Time Bandits*](https://film.one/film/time-bandits) (1981, Fi1m 80): Gilliam’s scrappy adventure through history: stranger, shorter and made of cardboard; and [*Stardust*](https://film.one/film/stardust) (2007, Fi1m 75): British fantasy with a scene-stealing pirate captain; more romance, the same lightness.

### Reviews we read (19)

- **Vulture**, Bilge Ebiri (85/100, inferred): The directors wisely lean into humor and the ridiculousness of the concept rather than taking it too seriously, resulting in a fun, Monty Python-inflected adventure that still delivers on story and characters. The set pieces build comedy effectively around the quest elements. [Read](https://www.vulture.com/article/dungeons-and-dragons-honor-among-thieves-is-loads-of-fun.html)
- **The AV Club**, Jordan Hoffman (B+): The film is a thrilling franchise starter that captures the wide-eyed wonder of D&D with inventive side quests and a charming cast, even for non-gamers. It prioritizes the world and journey over plot while delivering buoyant visuals and effective family themes. [Read](https://www.avclub.com/a-review-of-dungeons-dragons-honor-among-thieves-1850263296)
- **Empire**, Helen O'Hara (80/100, inferred): The critic calls it wildly entertaining high-fantasy-meets-low comedy that revels in its ridiculousness while finding an emotional core as a tribute to the game. She singles out the found-family theme and the cast's performances, especially Regé-Jean Page's scene-stealing turn, for praise. [Read](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/dungeons-dragons-honour-among-thieves/)
- **Radio Times**, Emma Simmonds (4/5): The critic calls it a thoroughly ripping yarn with canny casting, imaginative visuals and a script that pokes fun at genre traditions while delivering exciting action and spectacle. [Read](https://www.radiotimes.com/movies/dungeons-dragons-honour-among-thieves-review/)
- **Total Film** (80/100, inferred): The critic describes the film as turning the board game into a big-screen treat. It is presented as a positive release review focused on its fun adaptation of the source material. [Read](https://www.gamesradar.com/DandD-honour-among-thieves-review/)
- **Screen Daily** (75/100, inferred): The critic praises it as an entertaining adaptation that brings a modern sensibility to the D&D universe, focusing on human aspects of characters and strong performances, especially from Regé-Jean Page. [Read](https://www.screendaily.com/reviews/dungeons-and-dragons-honour-among-thieves-review/5180590.article)
- **The i Paper**, Christina Newland (70/100, inferred): The critic finds the film an entertaining, formulaic popcorn movie that revels in its own absurdity and silly fun. She singles out the genuine chemistry between Chris Pine and Michelle Rodriguez and the physical humour in the action set-pieces for praise. [Read](https://inews.co.uk/culture/dungeons-dragons-honor-among-thieves-review-this-knockoff-avengers-film-is-silly-mucky-fun-2243471)
- **Little White Lies**, Hannah Strong (2/3/3): The critic finds it a pleasant surprise with charm from Pine and a fun ensemble dynamic that takes its premise somewhat seriously, though notes flat CGI and that it is not especially memorable. [Read](https://lwlies.com/reviews/dungeons-dragons-honour-among-thieves)
- **Financial Times** (★★★★☆): The critic praises the irreverent tone and CGI wizardry played for laughs, comparing it favourably to The Princess Bride. The film is seen as a fun, light-hearted big-budget franchise starter with slick direction and a refreshing lack of grandeur. [Read](https://www.ft.com/content/cb408a71-7c2b-433a-a8da-84ff21d9a1d9)
- **Los Angeles Times**, Katie Walsh: The film boasts charisma and dexterity with eye-popping set pieces and star power but lacks true magic as it does not fully gel. The critic singles out the affable, swashbuckling fantasy energy and strong performances for praise while noting an ineffable missing quality. [Read](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/movies/story/2023-03-30/review-dungeons-dragons-honor-among-thieves-chris-pine-michelle-rodriguez-hugh-grant)
- **Slant Magazine**, Paul Attard (6): The film sands down the complex RPG elements into a formulaic, self-mocking Marvel-style blockbuster with flat dialogue and overreliance on wisecracks. It feels embarrassed by its source material and prioritizes mass appeal over dynamic decision-making or depth. [Read](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/dungeons-and-dragons-honor-among-thieves-review-chris-pine-michelle-rodriguez-rege-jean-page/)
- **The Guardian**, Peter Bradshaw: The critic finds the film a riotously entertaining family-friendly adventure and a welcome piece of world-building with likable characters. Praise is given to the balance of character and action plus the strong cast including Chris Pine, Michelle Rodriguez and Hugh Grant. [Read](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2023/apr/01/dungeons-dragons-honour-among-thieves-review-riotously-enjoyable-fantasy-adventure)
- **The Hollywood Reporter**, Lovia Gyarkye: The critic finds it a buoyant and accessible adaptation that exceeds expectations for both RPG novices and fans, with lively, well-judged performances from the cast, especially Pine and Rodriguez as an enjoyable duo. The middle section drags with baggy narrative and repetitive action. [Read](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/dungeons-dragons-honor-among-thieves-review-chris-pine-1235348051/)
- **The New York Times**, Amy Nicholson: The film is an amiable romp that captures the spirit of play from the game despite being a noisy, pixelated action film. The critic praises its ability to translate the joy of collaborative imagination into cinema through an ensemble cast on a heist adventure. [Read](https://www.nytimes.com/2023/03/30/movies/dungeons-and-dragons-honor-among-thieves-review.html)
- **The Times**: The critic calls the film utterly delightful with tongue-in-cheek charm and strong performances from Chris Pine, Michelle Rodriguez and Hugh Grant. Highlights include self-satirising humour, heart and genuine emotional depth alongside the fantasy elements. [Read](https://www.thetimes.com/culture/film/article/dungeons-dragons-honour-among-thieves-review-chris-pine-michelle-rodriguez-djptqn538)
- **/Film**, Jacob Hall (8.5/10): The film is a hilarious, heartfelt fantasy adventure driven by character and wit, more Princess Bride than grimdark. The directors craft a movie unashamed to explore love and family through a ragtag group of thieves. [Read](https://www.slashfilm.com/1224736/dungeons-dragons-honor-among-thieves-review-sxsw/)
- **Collider**, Carly Lane (B+): The film delivers a chaotic but entertaining fantasy adventure that captures the spirit of a D&D campaign through its well-defined misfit characters and accessible humor. The directors' comedic touch and the cast's chemistry stand out as highlights. [Read](https://collider.com/dungeons-and-dragons-honor-among-thieves-review/)
- **Deadline**, Valerie Complex (75/100, inferred): The film is a welcomed improvement over the prior D&D movie, with strong elements coming together for a fun game adaptation. The standout feature is the refreshing, equal friendship between Chris Pine's Edgin and Michelle Rodriguez's Holga, though pacing suffers from over-explaining the story. [Read](https://deadline.com/2023/03/dungeons-and-dragons-honor-among-thieves-review-chris-pine-sxsw-1235285753/)
- **Den of Geek**, David Crow (3.5/5): The critic praises the film's charm and light-hearted approach, likening it to 80s fantasy comedies like The Princess Bride, and highlights the strong comedic performances, particularly by Hugh Grant. They note some flat dramatic elements but overall find it enjoyable. [Read](https://www.denofgeek.com/movies/dungeons-and-dragons-honor-among-thieves-review/)

## Details

- **Director:** Jonathan Goldstein, John Francis Daley
- **Director:** Jonathan Goldstein, John Francis Daley
- **Screenplay:** Michael Gilio, John Francis Daley, Jonathan Goldstein
- **Story:** Chris McKay, Michael Gilio
- **Cinematography:** Barry Peterson
- **Editor:** Dan Lebental
- **Music:** Lorne Balfe
- **Production design:** Ray Chan
- **Costume design:** Amanda Monk
- **Producer:** Nick Meyer, Brian Goldner, Jeremy Latcham
- **Cast:** Chris Pine as Edgin; Michelle Rodriguez as Holga; Justice Smith as Simon; Sophia Lillis as Doric; Hugh Grant as Forge; Regé-Jean Page as Xenk; Chloe Coleman as Kira; Daisy Head as Sofina
- **Runtime:** 2h 14m
- **Certificate (MPA):** PG-13
- **Release (the US):** 31 March 2023
- **Genres:** Adventure, Fantasy, Comedy
- **Budget:** $151 million
- **Box office:** $208 million
- **Trailer:** https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9LLOLEBlVIA

## Where to watch in the US

- Netflix: streaming
- Paramount+: streaming
- The Roku Channel: add-on, hd
- Apple TV: add-on, uhd
- Amazon Prime Video: add-on, uhd
- Amazon Prime Video: rent $3.99, uhd
- Apple TV: rent $4.99, hd
- Amazon Prime Video: buy $9.99, uhd
- Apple TV: buy $14.99, hd

*Checked 2026-09-10.*

Also available in: AE, AR, AT, AU, BE, BG, BR, CA, CH, CL, CO, CZ, DE, DK, EC, EE, ES, FI, FR, GB, GR, HK, HU, ID, IE, IL, IN, IT, JP, KR, LT, MX, MY, NL, NO, NZ, PA, PE, PH, PL, PT, RO, RS, SE, SG, TH, TR, UA, US, VN, ZA. Add `?region=XX` to this URL for another country.

## Awards

- Hugo Awards 2024: Best Dramatic Presentation, Long Form (won)

## If you liked this

- *The Princess Bride* (1987), Fi1m 86: Silly and sincere in the same breath; the model this film is working from. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/the-princess-bride.md)
- *Game Night* (2018): Daley and Goldstein’s earlier comedy of a plan going wrong; same rhythms, no wizards.
- *Time Bandits* (1981), Fi1m 80: Gilliam’s scrappy adventure through history: stranger, shorter and made of cardboard. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/time-bandits.md)
- *Stardust* (2007), Fi1m 75: British fantasy with a scene-stealing pirate captain; more romance, the same lightness. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/stardust.md)
- *Galaxy Quest* (1999): A spoof that grows fond of what it is spoofing, and becomes the thing itself.

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/film/dungeons-and-dragons-honor-among-thieves