--- title: "The Brutalist: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/film/the-brutalist/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/film/the-brutalist" critics_score: 84 critics_reviews: 19 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." --- # The Brutalist (2024): what the critics said Critics' score 84 from 19 reviews: 16 positive, 2 mixed, 1 negative. Most critics agree on the scale of the thing and, broadly, on its success. The praise clusters around Adrien Brody, whose performance as the Hungarian-Jewish architect is called astonishing, nuanced and devastating in review after review, with Guy Pearce singled out almost as often. The VistaVision cinematography and the score draw near-uniform admiration, and several reviews treat Brady Corbet’s ambition as a virtue in itself. The reservations, where they appear, land in the same place: the final stretch. A number of otherwise warm notices find the second half heavy and the epilogue rushed or incomplete, and a few think the film too conscious of its own importance, the Financial Times among them. The spread is narrow at the top and thin at the bottom. The single outright dissent comes from The Telegraph, whose reviewer finds it bloated and dull while still conceding the strength of Brody, Jones and Pearce. ## Little White Lies — Hannah Strong Rating 4/5/5. 20 January 2025. The critic calls it gorgeous capital-C Cinema and a staggering achievement, praising its breathtaking VistaVision visuals, score, and Brody’s phenomenal lead performance as a Jewish architect navigating post-war America. [Read the review](https://lwlies.com/reviews/the-brutalist) ## Radio Times — Emma Simmonds Rating 5/5. 13 January 2025. The critic deems it an Oscar-worthy epic in length, weight and ambition that speaks volumes about America’s uneasy relationship with immigrants, praising its rich history, VistaVision aesthetic, intermission, and Brody and Pearce’s performances. [Read the review](https://www.radiotimes.com/movies/the-brutalist-review/) ## The Times — Kevin Maher Rating ★★★★★. 23 January 2025. The critic calls it a majestic historical epic and the film to beat for the Oscars. It praises the savage performances, especially Brody and Pearce, and the extraordinary VistaVision cinematography. [Read the review](https://www.thetimes.com/culture/film/article/the-brutalist-film-review-adrien-brody-felicity-jones-kzxprv8xp) ## Time Out — Phil de Semlyen Rating 5/5. 3 September 2024. Festival review. The critic hails it as a major work of art and mighty, discordant anthem to modern America, commending its monumental parable on the American dream, creation, money, and love story, plus its technical craft and Brody’s Oscar-worthy turn. [Read the review](https://www.timeout.com/movies/the-brutalist-review-2024) ## Empire — Jamie Graham Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 20 January 2025. The critic hails the film's epic, self-consciously important scope as a myth-making saga that propels forward despite its length and weighty themes. They single out the awe-inspiring visuals, Brody and Pearce's performances, and the director's ambition for particular praise. [Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/the-brutalist/) ## The Guardian — Wendy Ide Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 26 January 2025. The critic hails the film as a remarkable, audacious achievement that moves Corbet into the ranks of cinema's heavy hitters. It singles out the rich, involving storytelling and exemplary craft, especially the cinematography and score. [Read the review](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2025/jan/26/the-brutalist-brady-corbet-review-colossal-architecture-drama-adrien-brody) ## The New Yorker — Justin Chang Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 20 December 2024. The critic hails the film as an American epic of rare authority that inverts the American Dream through its story of a brilliant architect's exploitation and abuse in the US. It singles out the powerful performances, especially Brody's, and the film's thematic depth on capitalism and assimilation for praise. [Read the review](https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2024/12/30/the-brutalist-movie-review) ## Evening Standard — Tom Davidson Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 4 January 2025. The review calls the film a colossal, impeccably paced filmmaking triumph and brutal parable about the immigrant experience. It singles out Brody's nuanced, detailed performance for praise while noting some heavy-handed elements and flaws in the ending. [Read the review](https://www.standard.co.uk/culture/film/the-brutalist-film-review-this-propulsive-odyssey-is-a-filmmaking-triumph-b1201680.html) ## The i Paper — Christina Newland Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 24 January 2025. The critic describes the film as a work of staggering mystery and power that demands rapt attention and repays it with triumphant artistry. They single out Brody's astonishing performance and the visual grandiosity for praise. [Read the review](https://inews.co.uk/culture/film/adrien-brody-the-brutalist-review-oscar-3491787) ## Los Angeles Times — Amy Nicholson Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 18 December 2024. The critic views the film as an ambitious epic about the high price of artistic perfection and the fraught artist-patron relationship, with strong ideas and craft despite some flaws. It singles out the director's brains and vision, along with the lead performances, for praise while noting issues in the final stretch. [Read the review](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/movies/story/2024-12-18/the-brutalist-review-adrien-brody-guy-pearce-brady-corbet-felicity-jones) ## Vulture Fi1m's normalised score 65/100 (inferred from the text). 20 December 2024. The critic finds the film an audacious three-and-a-half-hour American saga anchored by a terrific Adrien Brody performance, but concludes that its grand ambitions ultimately exceed its grasp despite impressive craft and scope. [Read the review](https://www.vulture.com/article/the-brutalist-review-half-of-a-great-movie.html/) ## The Telegraph — Simon Heffer Fi1m's normalised score 20/100 (inferred from the text). 23 March 2025. The critic finds the film bloated, dull and self-indulgent, a slog that will soon be forgotten. It complains about the implausible story and excessive length while acknowledging strong performances from Brody, Jones and Pearce. [Read the review](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/films/0/the-brutalist-ayn-rand-the-fountainhead/) ## Financial Times — Danny Leigh Rating ★★★☆☆. 23 January 2025. The critic sees a towering but flawed paean to perfectionism that insists upon itself. It praises Brody's photorealistic performance but faults the self-conscious borrowings and heavy-handed execution. [Read the review](https://www.ft.com/content/ba3a6e13-9139-4afe-8e15-1b9abbc6ed64) ## Screen Daily 1 September 2024. Festival review. The critic finds it a meticulous, visually magnificent Venice Silver Lion winner about a Hungarian-Jewish architect in post-war America, admiring its VistaVision shooting, score, and cast (especially Pearce) while noting longueurs, narrative inertia, and lack of humour make it hard to love. [Read the review](https://www.screendaily.com/reviews/the-brutalist-venice-review/5196723.article) ## Sight and Sound 3 September 2024. Festival review. The critic praises Corbet’s ambitious, distinctive post-war epic about a Holocaust survivor architect building a new life in America, highlighting its vast scope, strong performances by Adrien Brody and Felicity Jones, and how it explores history, survival, and perspective without meandering despite its length. [Read the review](https://www.bfi.org.uk/sight-and-sound/reviews/brutalist-ambitious-american-saga-shows-distinctive-vision-brady-corbet) ## The Hollywood Reporter — David Rooney 1 September 2024. Festival review. The critic praises Brady Corbet's ambitious, novelistic epic about a Hungarian Jewish architect's immigrant experience in America as bold and enveloping, with a devastating central performance by Adrien Brody that conveys both genius and humiliation. [Read the review](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/the-brutalist-review-adrien-brody-brady-corbet-1235985981/) ## The New York Times — Manohla Dargis Rating Critic’s Pick. 19 December 2024. The critic praises the film as a grave, serious, visually sumptuous saga of bold visions and outsized ambitions that explores tensions between art and commerce, immigration, and modernity. It singles out the haunting lead performance and the movie's expansive ideas as strengths. [Read the review](https://www.nytimes.com/2024/12/19/movies/the-brutalist-review.html) ## /Film — Chris Evangelista Rating 10/10. 16 December 2024. The critic hails it as a masterpiece, an overwhelming triumph comparable to classics like Citizen Kane, praising its ambition, performances, cinematography, and how it captures the American experience. [Read the review](https://www.slashfilm.com/1739365/the-brutalist-review/) ## NME — Paul Bradshaw Rating 5/5. 21 January 2025. The critic hails it as an unmissable giant of a film that deserves Oscars. They praise the electrifying performances by Brody and Pearce, the jagged score, and Corbet's assured direction in this epic about obsession, art, and the American Dream. [Read the review](https://www.nme.com/reviews/film-reviews/the-brutalist-review-adrien-brody-guy-pearce-3830465) ## The Skinny — Patrick Gamble Rating ★★★★★. 20 January 2025. The critic lauds Brody's career-best performance in this ambitious epic. They highlight Corbet's exploration of the immigrant experience and the exploitative nature of the American Dream through the architect's story. [Read the review](https://www.theskinny.co.uk/film/new-releases/the-brutalist) ## Collider — Ross Bonaime Rating 8/10. 17 September 2024. The critic finds The Brutalist an ambitious, towering achievement that warrants its epic scope despite occasional stumbles in the second half. Adrien Brody delivers a career-best performance as the Holocaust survivor architect navigating the American dream. [Read the review](https://collider.com/the-brutalist-review/) ## The Wrap Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 1 September 2024. Festival review. The review praises the film's novelistic form and enthralling journey through assimilation, immigration, and American ambition. It singles out Adrien Brody's anchoring performance and the visual evocations of midcentury modernists for praise. [Read the review](https://www.thewrap.com/the-brutalist-review-adrien-brody-brady-corbet/) ## Film Stories — Maria Lattila Fi1m's normalised score 75/100 (inferred from the text). 24 January 2025. The critic praises the film's intimate and humane portrayal of an immigrant's journey and its grandeur, but notes the ending feels rushed and incomplete, leaving it short of perfection. It highlights Adrien Brody's performance as the carrying force. [Read the review](https://filmstories.co.uk/reviews/the-brutalist-review-brady-corbets-magnum-opus-is-well-worth-your-time) ## Deadline — Damon Wise Fi1m's normalised score 60/100 (inferred from the text). 1 September 2024. Festival review. The critic finds the film flawed but fascinating, falling somewhat short of its lofty target yet casting a strange spell with imagination. It singles out the 70mm cinematography and the practical possibilities of cinema for praise, while critiquing the heavy second half and epilogue. [Read the review](https://deadline.com/2024/09/the-brutalist-brady-corbet-mona-fastvold-70mm-epic-adrien-brody-guy-pearce-felicity-jones-venice-film-festival-1236075168/) --- © 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/the-brutalist.md