--- title: "No Sudden Move: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/film/no-sudden-move/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/film/no-sudden-move" critics_score: 75 critics_reviews: 15 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." --- # No Sudden Move (2021): what the critics said Critics' score 75 from 15 reviews: 12 positive, 2 mixed, 1 negative. Most critics like it, and the spread is fairly narrow: a large majority positive, a couple mixed, one outright dissent. The praise clusters on the ensemble first, with Don Cheadle and Benicio Del Toro named again and again, and then on Soderbergh’s direction, his compositions and editing and the recreation of 1954 Detroit. Several reviews enjoy the way a heist plot widens into a critique of corporate conspiracy and urban displacement. The reservations cluster on the same widening. The Wrap thinks the film takes on more history than it can carry and ends on tacked-on gravitas, and Paste finds it subdued, emotionally distant and overloaded. Others note the convoluted plotting keeps viewers at a remove without holding it against the film much. The lone negative comes from The New Yorker, which sees a pleasurable but insubstantial nostalgia trip that dresses up genre conventions rather than rethinking them, with serious themes used only as plot points. ## The AV Club — Mike D'Angelo Rating B+. 29 June 2021. Desperation yields darkly comic dividends in this twisty period caper, kept humming by a superb ensemble's offbeat moments even as the convoluted plot threatens to bog down. Soderbergh returns to his crime-movie wheelhouse with memorable character work and tension that is often expertly built and defused. [Read the review](https://www.avclub.com/desperation-pays-darkly-comic-dividends-in-steven-soder-1847189346) ## The Hollywood Reporter — David Rooney Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 18 June 2021. Festival review. Soderbergh plays to his strengths with intricate plotting, sardonic humor, and a crackerjack ensemble in this nimble neo-noir about crooks entangled in a document theft and corporate skullduggery in 1954 Detroit. The film is zippy and entertaining with sumptuous visuals and a buoyant storyteller at the helm, even if the script feels slightly less than the sum of its parts. [Read the review](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/steven-soderberghs-no-sudden-move-1234970192/) ## The Telegraph Rating 4/5. The review calls it a suave, moody crime drama that favours a sense of fatigue and detail over flashy noir swagger. Soderbergh is praised for his flair with actors and for incorporating real historical footnotes about corporate conspiracy and urban displacement without moralising. [Read the review](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/films/0/no-sudden-move-review-suave-crime-thriller-steven-soderbergh/) ## IndieWire — Eric Kohn Fi1m's normalised score 75/100 (inferred from the text). 18 June 2021. Festival review. Soderbergh delivers a lighthearted caper that goes down easy, with Don Cheadle and Benicio Del Toro having a blast amid the crime-gone-wrong antics. Despite a puzzling historical backdrop, the star-studded story remains amiable and engaging. [Read the review](https://www.indiewire.com/criticism/movies/no-sudden-move-review-don-cheadle-benicio-del-toro-1234645306/) ## Sight and Sound Fi1m's normalised score 75/100 (inferred from the text). 9 November 2021. The critic calls it a sharp, gritty crime thriller with an all-star cast in a claustrophobic 1950s Detroit heist setup. They single out the charismatic performances, inventive compositions and editing, and the gradual shift to a wider systemic critique of American capitalism. [Read the review](https://www.bfi.org.uk/sight-and-sound/reviews/no-sudden-move-sharp-gritty-crime-thriller-from-steven-soderbergh) ## Slant Magazine — Chuck Bowen Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 3 July 2021. No Sudden Move is a cooler-than-cool pastiche of 1950s noir and modern social self-consciousness, with high style, visual texture, and Soderbergh's signature grasp of professionalism and rigged systems. The hipness and intricate plotting can keep viewers at a remove, though standout performances and subtle details provide piercing moments. [Read the review](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/review-no-sudden-move-is-a-cooler-than-cool-pastiche-of-old-and-new/) ## The New Yorker — Richard Brody Fi1m's normalised score 40/100 (inferred from the text). 1 July 2021. Soderbergh’s film is a retread and effortful reanimation of genre conventions with stylistic pleasures that adorn the action without reimagining it. It is a cinematic nostalgia trip that is far from unpleasurable but even further from substantial, with serious themes leveraged only as plot points. [Read the review](https://www.newyorker.com/culture/the-front-row/no-sudden-move-reviewed-steven-soderberghs-new-crime-drama-is-a-brisk-nostalgia-trip) ## Evening Standard — Charlotte O'Sullivan 8 October 2021. The film is an oozy, surreal all-star heist thriller set in 1950s Detroit that delivers twists and strong performances despite its limited release. The critic highlights the cast (particularly David Harbour and Jon Hamm) and Soderbergh's distinctive camera work as reasons it succeeds. [Read the review](https://www.standard.co.uk/culture/film/no-sudden-move-review-movie-steven-soderbergh-don-cheadle-b959138.html) ## Financial Times — Danny Leigh Rating ★★★★☆. 7 October 2021. The review describes a crackling, smart noir filled with nifty surprises and strong performances, especially Don Cheadle. It notes the film’s ambition in pivoting from heist to broader themes but finds it slightly self-conscious, though still recommended as a grown-up treat. [Read the review](https://www.ft.com/content/88350bad-4db5-431a-b25c-cd3f3ea82cac) ## Los Angeles Times — Justin Chang 30 June 2021. All due respect to ‘F9,’ but ‘No Sudden Move’ is the car movie of the summer in this smart, insouciantly twisty thriller set in 1954 Detroit. The seductive glide of Soderbergh’s filmmaking and the noirish cynicism suggest a grim tonal reversal of his earlier ensemble thrillers. [Read the review](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/movies/story/2021-06-30/no-sudden-move-review-soderbergh-don-cheadle-benicio-del-toro) ## The Guardian 2 July 2021. The critic praises Soderbergh for using a crowd-pleasing heist format to smuggle in subversive commentary on race, industry and politics in 1950s Detroit. The film is commended for its taut plotting, strong ensemble and nimble writing that balances genre thrills with deeper social critique. [Read the review](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2021/jul/02/no-sudden-move-review-steven-soderbergh-hbo-max) ## The Independent — Clarisse Loughrey 12 October 2021. Soderbergh returns to the heist genre with an A-list cast in a well-crafted, reassuringly thrilling film that is a minor but solid entry in his filmography. The critic praises the professional execution of the caper and standout performances, especially from Don Cheadle and Brendan Fraser. [Read the review](https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/reviews/no-sudden-move-b1934004.html) ## The New York Times — A.O. Scott 1 July 2021. The film is a Detroit-set period thriller with a lot on its mind, starring Don Cheadle and Benicio Del Toro. Viewers are tasked with connecting intricately arranged dots in this crime drama. [Read the review](https://www.nytimes.com/2021/07/01/movies/no-sudden-move-review.html) ## The Times — Kevin Maher Rating ★★★★☆. 8 October 2021. The critic finds the film ingeniously overstuffed and directed with devilish panache, a versatile showcase for Soderbergh’s talents in period crime drama with social critique. Performances across the board, especially from Cheadle, del Toro and Culkin, are singled out as uniformly strong. [Read the review](https://www.thetimes.com/culture/film/article/no-sudden-move-review-soderbergh-remains-criminally-good-hxp387hp5) ## Variety — Owen Gleiberman 19 June 2021. Festival review. The film is a down-and-dirty, multi-tentacled crime thriller set in racially polarized 1954 Detroit in which everyone double-crosses everyone. It is an ambitious light-spirited high-twist modernist noir that is clever and blithely vicious but doesn’t quite make the old seem new again. [Read the review](https://variety.com/2021/film/reviews/no-sudden-move-review-don-cheadle-benicio-del-toro-jon-hamm-steven-soderbergh-1234999284/) ## Collider — Matt Goldberg Rating A-. 2 July 2021. The critic praises it as a taut, cynical inverse of Soderbergh's Ocean's films, highlighting the backstabbing criminals, social commentary on Detroit and capitalism, and Soderbergh's direction; it's a wicked good time with satisfying themes. [Read the review](https://collider.com/no-sudden-move-review-hbo-max/) ## Den of Geek — Tony Sokol Rating 4.5/5. 1 July 2021. The critic calls the film a deviously sexy, low-key noir heist story full of ulterior motives and subtle eroticism rather than an Ocean's-style caper. They single out the expert recreation of 1950s Detroit, the color-coded production design, and Matt Damon's chilling turn as the ultimate villain. [Read the review](https://www.denofgeek.com/movies/no-sudden-move-review-steven-soderbergh-hbox-max-streaming/) ## Polygon — Joshua Rivera Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 2 July 2021. The critic calls it a masterpiece that blends crime caper, gangster film, and period drama about American cities' destruction, praising the performances, depth, and visual style. [Read the review](https://www.polygon.com/22561343/no-sudden-move-review-hbo-max-steven-soderbergh) ## The Playlist — Jason Bailey Rating A-. 18 June 2021. Festival review. The critic commends the film's fleet-footed direction, inventive compositions, and strong ensemble performances that bring depth to the pressure-cooker plot of double-crosses and social tensions. [Read the review](https://theplaylist.net/no-sudden-move-a-thrilling-yet-thoughtful-throwback-from-steven-soderbergh-tribeca-review-20210618/) ## Deadline — Pete Hammond Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 21 June 2021. The critic praises the twisty noirish period crime thriller for its superb ensemble cast and cool story, calling it a must-see in the Soderbergh canon that delivers satisfying entertainment reminiscent of classic '50s crime dramas. They single out the cast performances, especially Cheadle, Del Toro, and others, for making the film a cool pleasure. [Read the review](https://deadline.com/video/no-sudden-move-review-steven-soderbergh-hbo-max/) ## Eye for Film — Amber Wilkinson Fi1m's normalised score 75/100 (inferred from the text). 6 October 2021. The critic praises Soderbergh's tight pacing and claustrophobic mood in this twisty crime thriller, highlighting the stylish fisheye lensing and jazz score, while noting the plot's complexity might be a tad overdone. [Read the review](https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/no-sudden-move-2021-film-review-by-amber-wilkinson) ## Paste — Brianna Zigler Rating 6.0/10. 1 July 2021. The critic finds it measured and subdued, with low stakes, emotional distance, and a script that juggles too much, though it has patience and interesting themes about power and conspiracy. [Read the review](https://www.pastemagazine.com/movies/hbo-max/no-sudden-movie-review) ## The Wrap Fi1m's normalised score 60/100 (inferred from the text). 18 June 2021. Festival review. The critic finds it a first-class genre tale with entertaining performances and rich period detail but criticizes it for biting off more historical tragedy than it can chew, ultimately feeling like a hopeless recitation of doom. They single out the stylish direction, off-kilter dialogue, and strong ensemble for praise while complaining about the tacked-on gravitas at the end. [Read the review](https://www.thewrap.com/no-sudden-move-film-review-steven-soderbergh-don-cheadle-benicio-del-toro/) --- © 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/no-sudden-move.md