--- title: "Kes: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/film/kes/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/film/kes" critics_score: 83 critics_reviews: 14 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." --- # Kes (1970): what the critics said Critics' score 83 from 14 reviews: 13 positive, 1 mixed, 0 negative. Kes is admired almost without exception. Thirteen of fourteen reviews are positive, and the praise gathers in the same places: David Bradley’s performance as Billy, the bullied boy who trains a kestrel, and Loach’s handling of a cast of non-professionals, which most critics credit for the film’s documentary feel. The scenes of boy and bird on the moors are singled out repeatedly, as is Chris Menges’ photography of the Yorkshire town and its interiors, which The Times says the restoration shows to advantage. Several reviewers also find more humour and warmth than the subject suggests. The spread is narrow and the reservations small. Variety and Sight and Sound admire the cast but call the style rough, and the latter finds the film thinner in autobiographical detail than comparable work. The one mixed notice is The New York Times, which calls the film honourable and decent but never quite as interesting as the people in it, while conceding Loach’s gift with actors. ## The Times — Kate Muir Rating ★★★★★. 11 November 2016. The critic highlights the authentic performance by David Bradley as the bullied mining-town boy who finds solace training a kestrel, and celebrates the digital restoration that reveals the beauty of the Yorkshire landscapes and interiors shot by Chris Menges. [Read the review](https://www.thetimes.com/life-style/article/classic-film-of-the-week-kes-1969-750vqtv2f) ## Empire — Neil Jeffries Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 1 January 2000. Loach's debut feature remains a landmark of British cinema for its quasi-documentary realism and natural performances from non-professionals. The simple beauty of the story about a boy and his kestrel shines through in this re-release. [Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/kes-review/) ## Evening Standard Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 10 April 2012. The respect paid to the entire cast stands out in this reissued Loach film. Jaunty, sad and poetic, it is so humane it makes you tremble. [Read the review](https://www.standard.co.uk/culture/film/kes-review-7426604.html) ## Film Comment — Chris Darke Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 12 May 2026. The critic calls Kes an English classic and praises its portrayal of a working-class boy's bond with a kestrel amid harsh circumstances. Loach's naturalism and the nonprofessional lead performance are singled out as deeply affecting. [Read the review](https://www.filmcomment.com/article/encore-kes/) ## Little White Lies — David Jenkins Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 11 November 2016. Kes remains Loach’s most elegiac and powerful portrait of working-class struggles, transcending time through its poetic allegory and lyrical falconry scenes. It stands out as one of his rare forays beyond blunt didacticism into something more timeless and humane. [Read the review](https://lwlies.com/home-ents/kes-still-ken-loachs-best-film) ## RogerEbert.com — Roger Ebert Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 16 January 1973. Loach is at his best with this warm, moving story of a misfit boy in a harsh class-biased system who finds purpose training a kestrel. The film has heartbreaking humanity and reaches emotional peaks in its handling of the boy and his bird. [Read the review](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/kes-1973) ## Slant Magazine — Chris Cabin Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 21 February 2015. The critic calls Kes a masterpiece of British cinema that endures across audiences. They single out Loach’s observational aesthetic, use of nonprofessional actors, and sincere handling of dialect and character for praise, noting how tragedy lands without sentimentality. [Read the review](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/kes/) ## The Guardian Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 20 November 1969. The critic praises the film's humanity, realism, and humour despite some technical imperfections and unconventional style. They single out the authentic non-professional performances, especially David Bradley as Billy, and the central relationship with the kestrel as a powerful image of freedom and survival amid a spirit-crushing system. [Read the review](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2019/nov/20/kes-drawing-the-curtains-on-barnsley-ken-loach-1969) ## The New Yorker — Michael Sragow Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 15 November 2011. Festival review. Sragow describes the film as fierce and heartbreaking, praising its conveyance of the restorative power of wild things through beautiful cinematography of the boy and his kestrel. He singles out the emotional climax in the English class and Bradley's tremendous performance. [Read the review](https://www.newyorker.com/goings-on-about-town/movies/kes) ## Sight and Sound — Jack Ibberson Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). The film captures the gritty quality of Northern life and the mix of rural and industrial elements in Barnsley. Loach succeeds with his young players and non-professional cast, though it lacks some autobiographical depth compared to similar films. [Read the review](http://old.bfi.org.uk/sightandsound/reviews/releases/kes.php) ## Time Out — Dave Calhoun Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 6 September 2011. Kes marked a new maturity and stillness in Loach’s work while retaining energy, humour and compassion. The film is astute about education and what excites children to learn, with tender scenes of Billy and his kestrel standing out. [Read the review](https://www.timeout.com/movies/kes) ## Variety — Variety Staff Rating **. 1 January 1970. The filmmakers vividly capture the drab Yorkshire background and the boy's life through local non-actors, highlighting the grim side of education and home. Performances are strong, especially the lead, with dedicated direction and superb moorland footage despite a rough style. [Read the review](https://variety.com/1969/film/reviews/kes-1200422198/) ## The New York Times — Vincent Canby Fi1m's normalised score 50/100 (inferred from the text). 21 September 1970. Kes is an honorable, decent sort of movie that is never quite as interesting as the people within it. Director Kenneth Loach has a remarkable talent for handling actors and obtaining memorable performances from nonprofessionals. [Read the review](https://www.nytimes.com/1970/09/21/archives/kes-a-british-movie-opens-at-little-carnegie.html) ## Eye for Film — David Graham Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 17 September 2011. The critic calls Kes a true classic and milestone of British cinema, a deeply personal and humble film that blends socio-political commentary with emotional human drama. They single out the authentic, compelling performances (many by non-actors) and the contrast between the boy's stifling town life and his liberating connection to nature and the kestrel for praise. [Read the review](https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/kes-film-review-by-david-graham) --- © 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/kes.md