--- title: "King of the Hill: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/film/king-of-the-hill/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/film/king-of-the-hill" critics_score: 78 critics_reviews: 7 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." --- # King of the Hill (1993): what the critics said Critics' score 78 from 7 reviews: 6 positive, 1 mixed, 0 negative. The reviews for King of the Hill are warm and closely grouped, with a single dissenter. Most critics treat Soderbergh’s third film as an early sign of how well he writes and builds a scene: the praise gathers around the screenplay, which makes a shape out of anecdotal memoir material, and around the film’s steady, unsentimental view of Depression-era poverty as seen through a boy’s eyes. Bradford’s performance is singled out repeatedly for its watchfulness and resilience, and several critics admire how the film moves between light and heartbreaking moments without settling into nostalgia. Time Out concedes the coming-of-age story holds few surprises but finds the film’s sensitivity carries it. The one reservation of substance comes from The Independent, which argues that the frequent shifts in tone read as indecision rather than complexity, the very quality others count as the film’s strength. The later reappraisals are, if anything, warmer than the 1993 notices. ## The AV Club — Mike D'Angelo Rating A-. 5 March 2014. The review praises Soderbergh’s third film as evidence of his strong screenwriting skills, highlighting its expertly crafted screenplay and the illusion of order created from anecdotal source material. It singles out the child protagonist’s resilient, watchful performance and the film’s balanced mix of lighthearted and heartbreaking moments. [Read the review](https://www.avclub.com/steven-soderbergh-proved-his-skills-as-a-screenwriter-w-1798179697) ## Los Angeles Times — Michael Wilmington Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 20 August 1993. The review calls it one of the finest American films of the year for its mingled apprehension and delight in depicting a boy's resilience. Soderbergh is praised for brilliantly recreating the world of the Depression-era memoir. [Read the review](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1993-08-20-ca-25508-story.html) ## Slant Magazine — Chuck Bowen Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 24 February 2014. The review lauds the film as a key early Soderbergh work that receives worthy Criterion treatment, commending its lucid pragmatism and resistance to unearned sentiment. It singles out the child’s-eye view of Depression-era hardship, the push-and-pull tone, and the precise formal construction of key sequences like the hallucination scene. [Read the review](https://www.slantmagazine.com/dvd/king-of-the-hill/) ## The New York Times — Janet Maslin Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 20 August 1993. The critic praises the film for capturing the precariousness of life during the Depression with warmth and wit, without nostalgia. Soderbergh is singled out for turning a moment of hunger into something buoyant and defying expectations. [Read the review](https://www.nytimes.com/1993/08/20/movies/king-of-the-hill-a-boy-of-the-30-s-with-grit-and-wit.html) ## Variety — Todd McCarthy Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 20 May 1993. Festival review. The film is hailed for its rich satisfactions as a fine novel, with dense detail and superb acting evoking a boy's Depression life. Soderbergh is noted for animating another time while underlining parallels to contemporary struggles. [Read the review](https://variety.com/1993/film/reviews/king-of-the-hill-2-1200432207/) ## The Independent Fi1m's normalised score 45/100 (inferred from the text). 23 December 1993. The film mixes period nostalgia for the Thirties with childhood warmth but includes a dark streak. Frequent shifts in tone make it feel indecisive rather than complex. [Read the review](https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/film-the-last-chance-hotel-king-of-the-hill-director-steven-soderbergh-us-desperate-remedies-15-director-main-wells-us-late-spring-no-cert-director-yasujiro-ozu-jap-1469193.html) ## Empire — Matt Mueller 1 January 2000. Soderbergh's third feature is a triumphant return to form with exquisite craftsmanship and richly detailed storytelling of a boy's survival during the Depression. Bradford delivers one of the best young performances in recent memory. [Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/king-hill-review/) ## Time Out — TCh 10 September 2012. The coming-of-age story holds few surprises but the film's sensitivity speaks volumes, with Soderbergh letting his camera do the talking as an initially nostalgic hue turns harder and tougher. The result is both heartening and astringent. [Read the review](https://www.timeout.com/movies/king-of-the-hill-1) ## Paste — Jesse Hassenger Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 21 August 2023. The film stands alone as Soderbergh’s best pre-Out of Sight movie and belongs among his best overall. It is structured as a series of vignettes that accumulate in power through Soderbergh’s skill at turning character into story and his strong casting choices. [Read the review](https://www.pastemagazine.com/movies/steven-soderbergh/king-of-the-hill-best-steven-soderbergh-youve-never-seen) --- © 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/king-of-the-hill.md