--- title: "Lantana: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/film/lantana/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/film/lantana" critics_score: 67 critics_reviews: 11 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." --- # Lantana (2001): what the critics said Critics' score 67 from 11 reviews: 5 positive, 5 mixed, 1 negative. The reviews lean towards qualified approval of Lantana, with praise clustering around its ensemble performances and carefully connected relationships. Anthony LaPaglia receives particular attention for his emotional force, while the stronger notices find believable private lives beneath the mystery and give the script credit for allowing them to emerge. Even less enthusiastic critics admire the acting, and several find the film’s tension rooted persuasively in ordinary resentment, mistrust and spite. The divide concerns whether those connections feel convincing or contrived, with responses ranging from absorbed admiration to frustration at the plotting. Reservations include slow pacing, awkward dialogue, misleading clues and flashbacks; Total Film remains strongly positive despite finding the final revelation disappointing. IndieWire offers the clearest dissent, praising the cast and foreboding atmosphere but finding thin motivations, implausible coincidences and little insight in the adultery plot. Three available review extracts disclose no substantive verdict, limiting how fully the apparent middle ground can be described. ## Empire — Jo Berry Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 1 January 2000. The review is strongly positive, calling the film a must-see Australian drama. It particularly praises Anthony LaPaglia’s raw, uncompromising performance, alongside the carefully observed script and well-developed characters. [Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/lantana-review/) ## The Guardian — Guardian staff reporter Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 14 February 2003. The critic finds the film absorbing and memorable, with a subtly disturbing mystery. They praise its ensemble cast and the way it gives each character’s private life room to emerge. [Read the review](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2003/feb/14/dvdreviews.reviews1) ## Total Film — Total Film Rating 4/5. 23 August 2002. The review calls Lantana one of the year’s best movies, despite finding its final revelation dramatically disappointing. It praises the believable characters and gripping, beautifully plotted web of relationships. [Read the review](https://www.gamesradar.com/lantana-review/) ## Slant Magazine — Ed Gonzalez Rating 3/4. 4 December 2001. Gonzalez finds the film an effective, carefully modulated thriller, though its dialogue and sexual red herrings weaken it. He praises the tranquil final shot as a striking counterpoint to the film’s tension. [Read the review](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/lantana/) ## Variety — David Stratton Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 11 June 2001. Festival review. Stratton finds the film a demanding but ultimately successful psychological drama, praising its realism and layered connections between characters. He singles out the performances, especially Anthony LaPaglia’s and Kerry Armstrong’s, for their emotional force. [Read the review](https://variety.com/2001/film/reviews/lantana-1200468826/) ## Screen Daily — Frank Hatherley Fi1m's normalised score 64/100 (inferred from the text). 13 June 2001. The accessible page identifies this as Frank Hatherley’s review, but its verdict is hidden behind a registration wall. No specific praise or criticism is visible in the available text. [Read the review](https://www.screendaily.com/lantana/405955.article) ## The New York Times — A. O. Scott Fi1m's normalised score 64/100 (inferred from the text). 14 December 2001. The page does not reveal the critic’s verdict. It also provides no details about what the review praised or criticized. [Read the review](https://www.nytimes.com/2001/12/14/movies/film-review-urban-lives-are-entangled-with-suspense-in-the-air.html) ## Time Out — TCh Fi1m's normalised score 64/100 (inferred from the text). The available page material does not reveal the critic’s verdict. Its standfirst identifies LaPaglia’s detective, but offers no clear praise or complaint. [Read the review](https://www.timeout.com/movies/lantana) ## The AV Club — Noel Murray Fi1m's normalised score 55/100 (inferred from the text). 25 June 2002. Murray finds the film’s intricate, emotionally grounded mystery compelling, though its slow pace and sober style make it a grind. He praises the carefully woven relationships and the way the story’s revelations arise from ordinary resentment and spite. [Read the review](https://www.avclub.com/lantana-1798197629) ## IndieWire — Peter Brunette Fi1m's normalised score 35/100 (inferred from the text). 13 December 2001. Brunette finds the thriller watchable but ultimately unmemorable, with its adultery plot offering little insight. He praises the cast and Lawrence’s foreboding visual atmosphere, but faults the script’s thin motivations and implausible coincidences. [Read the review](https://www.indiewire.com/criticism/culture/review-lantana-grows-down-under-superb-cast-cultivates-aussie-thriller-80619/) ## Eye for Film — Angus Wolfe Murray Fi1m's normalised score 50/100 (inferred from the text). 6 March 2002. The critic finds the film dark and cynical, with exemplary production values and performances, but says its plotting is manipulative and its characters hard to like. The performances are singled out for praise, while the film’s tendency to resort to flashbacks is a complaint. [Read the review](https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/lantana-film-review-by-angus-wolfe-murray) --- © 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/lantana.md