---
title: "The Defiant Ones: the reviews"
canonical: "https://film.one/film/the-defiant-ones/reviews"
title_page: "https://film.one/film/the-defiant-ones"
critics_score: 71
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."
---

# The Defiant Ones (1958): what the critics said

Critics' score 71 from 7 reviews: 6 positive, 1 mixed, 0 negative.

The reviews lean firmly positive, with six of seven recommending it. The praise clusters around the two leads: Tony Curtis and Sidney Poitier, shackled together and on the run through the South, are called strong, tough or intense by nearly every critic, and several credit Stanley Kramer’s direction with handling the racial antagonism between them both forcefully and sensitively. Most agree the film still carries some force as a plea for common humanity, and that it moves at a brisk pace.

Where they part is on how well the message has worn. The older reviews take the social drama at face value; the later ones treat it as a period piece rescued by its performances, with Time Out saying it would be a musty museum piece without them. Empire goes furthest, finding it works better as a high-concept thriller than as a statement on race, and Eye for Film notes an imbalance in the racial dynamics. Nobody dislikes it.

## The New York Times — Bosley Crowther

Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 25 September 1958. 

The film powerfully visualizes the idea of men of different races bonded by misfortune into brotherhood through a dramatic social drama. It highlights the intense performances and Kramer's forceful handling of racial conflict and resentment.

[Read the review](https://www.nytimes.com/1958/09/25/archives/screen-a-forceful-social-drama-the-defiant-ones-has-debut-at.html)

## Radio Times — Tony Sloman

Rating 4/5. 

The critic calls this still powerful drama a superb cinematic strike for racial equality in its day. Two convicts shackled together highlight strong performances from Tony Curtis and Sidney Poitier, marking it as one of Stanley Kramer's finest humanitarian movies.

[Read the review](https://www.radiotimes.com/movie-guide/b-0ptd21/the-defiant-ones/)

## The New Yorker

Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 27 September 1958. 

The film grimly depicts two chained convicts of different races escaping in the South while confronting racial antagonism, ultimately showing that common humanity can overcome hatred. It moves at an exciting pace with solid performances from Poitier and Curtis.

[Read the review](https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/1958/10/04/1958-10-04-158-tny-cards-000062229)

## Time Out

Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 6 February 2013. 

The review notes that without the tough, memorable performances by Sidney Poitier and Tony Curtis, this allegory about race relations might feel like a musty museum piece. Most of Kramer's message movies have not aged well, but this one still packs something of a wallop.

[Read the review](https://www.timeout.com/newyork/film/the-defiant-ones)

## Variety — Variety Staff

Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 31 December 1957. 

The film explores how lack of knowledge between men leads to division, but understanding fosters respect and comradeship, shown through two chained convicts of different races escaping together. It praises the strong performances by Tony Curtis and Sidney Poitier along with Kramer's sensitive direction.

[Read the review](https://variety.com/1957/film/reviews/the-defiant-ones-1200419029/)

## Empire — Kim Newman

Fi1m's normalised score 50/100 (inferred from the text). 1 January 2000. 

The film works better as a high-concept thriller than as a heavy-handed statement on race relations. The physical sequences of the chained convicts navigating obstacles stand out as the strongest elements.

[Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/defiant-ones-review/)

## Eye for Film — Jennie Kermode

Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 19 January 2018. Festival review. 

The critic finds the film works well as an adventure story with strong performances from the leads, but notes an imbalance in the racial dynamics portrayed. It praises the thrilling action and its importance as a breakthrough for Poitier while remaining enjoyable today.

[Read the review](https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/the-defiant-ones-1956-film-review-by-jennie-kermode)

---
© 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-defiant-ones.md