--- title: "Gandhi: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/film/gandhi/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/film/gandhi" critics_score: 63 critics_reviews: 10 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." --- # Gandhi (1982): what the critics said Critics' score 63 from 10 reviews: 6 positive, 1 mixed, 3 negative. ## The Telegraph Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 11 April 2016. The critic calls the film an amazing epic that tells one of the 20th century's most remarkable stories through non-violent protest. Ben Kingsley is singled out for superb praise as he ages 50 years on screen and transforms from lawyer to ascetic, though some historical details are noted as dubious. [Read the review](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/film/filmreviews/11528461/Gandhi-film-review-amazing-epic.html) ## Variety — Variety Staff Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 24 November 1982. The film is a triumph for director Richard Attenborough and a technically exquisite epic that captures the spirit of Gandhi and his times through sweeping, powerful scenes of India's independence struggle. Ben Kingsley's magnetic portrayal anchors the grand, thorough biopic despite its length. [Read the review](https://variety.com/1982/film/reviews/gandhi-1200425305/) ## IndieWire — Jim Hemphill Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 8 May 2025. The critic praises the film's enduring strengths as a literate, balanced epic that blends character study and spectacle effectively despite its length. They highlight Ben Kingsley's transformative performance as Gandhi and Attenborough's command of craft after years of preparation. [Read the review](https://indiewire.com/features/commentary/richard-attenborough-gandhi-4k-uhd-1235120812) ## The Guardian — Philip French Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 5 December 1982. The critic finds the film an honourable, honestly affecting and carefully crafted biopic that plays fairly safe with its subject. Ben Kingsley's performance as Gandhi is singled out as one of the cinema's great historic portraits, with praise also for the handling of major set-pieces. [Read the review](https://www.theguardian.com/film/1982/dec/05/features.philipfrench) ## The New York Times — Vincent Canby Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 8 December 1982. Attenborough's sincere, panoramic film is most effective in its plain, intimate vignettes of Gandhi's life rather than its large spectacles, with Ben Kingsley's lively, searching performance as the standout that holds the long epic together and makes it moving. [Read the review](https://www.nytimes.com/1982/12/08/movies/ben-kingsley-in-panoramic-gandhi.html) ## Time Out — FD Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 10 September 2012. The film must be considered one of the major British films of the year due to its subject and production effort. Kingsley's performance in the central role is outstanding, though the film raises more questions than it answers. [Read the review](https://www.timeout.com/movies/gandhi) ## Slant Magazine — Fernando F. Croce Fi1m's normalised score 40/100 (inferred from the text). 5 March 2007. The critic finds the film a safe, conventional epic that lacks nuance or contradiction in its portrayal of Gandhi. Kingsley’s performance is singled out for bringing gravity and dignity to the role despite the material’s limitations. [Read the review](https://www.slantmagazine.com/dvd/gandhi-dvd/) ## Empire — Ian Nathan Fi1m's normalised score 30/100 (inferred from the text). 1 January 2000. The film is a talky, slow biopic that lacks the excitement of other epics despite its grand scope and intelligent script. Ben Kingsley's central performance is the standout element that makes the film worth seeing. [Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/gandhi-review/) ## The New Yorker — Pauline Kael Fi1m's normalised score 30/100 (inferred from the text). 27 December 1982. The reverential, conventional film lacks a dramatic center and feels like an empty schoolbook hero-worship exercise that tidies up history and is ultimately unaffecting beyond its spectacle scenes. Attenborough's infatuation with Gandhi results in a respectable but uninvolving three-hour-plus epic. [Read the review](https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/1982/12/27/tootsie-gandhi-and-sophie) ## Eye for Film — Amber Wilkinson Fi1m's normalised score 50/100 (inferred from the text). 13 September 2001. The critic finds the film informative and enjoyable as an education on Gandhi's life but difficult to engage with due to its epic scope leaving subsidiary characters underdeveloped and one-dimensional. [Read the review](https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/gandhi-film-review-by-amber-wilkinson) --- © 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/gandhi.md