Critics’ reviews

The Good Nurse (2022)

22 reviews from 22 publications. Critics’ score 66: 13 positive, 6 mixed, 3 negative.

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66
Positive
13
Mixed
6
Negative
3

Most critics find The Good Nurse a worthwhile, restrained true-crime drama, with praise concentrated on its lead performances. Jessica Chastain draws the broadest approval for giving Amy warmth, vulnerability and depth without overstatement; even several detractors admire her work. Eddie Redmayne’s quiet menace also impresses many reviewers. Supporters value the measured procedural tension and the attention paid to hospital failures, with some finding a persuasive criticism of profit-driven healthcare.

The spread is wide, however, and the same restraint strikes less convinced critics as flatness or emotional distance. Reservations centre on predictable plotting, contrived police work and suspense that becomes too theatrical. The healthcare criticism also divides opinion: some find it forceful, others insufficiently explored. Redmayne is a particular point of disagreement: Paste praises his quietly unnerving performance, while the Los Angeles Times finds it exaggerated and the killer unilluminating.

Variety
12 September 2022 · festival review · Tomris Laffly
88*

Laffly finds the film a soulful, quietly devastating drama that makes a persuasive political case against the for-profit healthcare system. She especially praises Jessica Chastain’s understated, empathetic performance as Amy.

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The Hollywood Reporter
12 September 2022 · festival review · John DeFore
82*

DeFore calls the film gripping and refreshingly unmanipulative, while condemning the profit-driven hospital system that lets danger persist. He praises the restrained performances, especially Redmayne’s portrayal of a nurse whose apparent concern remains convincing even as suspicion grows.

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Empire
25 October 2022 · Catherine Bray
80*

Bray gives the film a clearly positive verdict as a tense, thoughtful true-crime drama. She especially praises Jessica Chastain’s performance and the film’s focus on institutional failures.

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RogerEbert.com
26 October 2022 · ★★★/4 · Brian Tallerico
75

Tallerico gives the film a positive assessment as a tense procedural. He singles out the performances for praise, especially the work of Jessica Chastain and Eddie Redmayne.

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IndieWire
11 September 2022 · B- · Kate Erbland
70

Erbland finds the drama chillingly effective, though its emotional distance may leave some viewers cold. She praises Jessica Chastain’s quiet, powerful performance and the focus on Amy’s perspective.

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Radio Times
17 October 2022 · James Mottram
70*

The review appears positive, describing the film as an effective character study. It singles out Eddie Redmayne’s portrayal of a complex killer.

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Screen Daily
12 September 2022 · festival review · Wendy Ide
70*

The standfirst presents the thriller positively, highlighting its superb acting. It singles out Eddie Redmayne and Jessica Chastain’s performances.

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The AV Club
18 October 2022 · B- · Courtney Howard
70

The critic finds the film a subtly crafted, effective thriller that also indicts the healthcare system that enabled the killings. She praises Jessica Chastain’s vulnerable performance and Eddie Redmayne’s understated, unsettling portrayal.

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The New York Times
64*

The page content is unavailable, so the critic’s verdict cannot be established. No specific praise or complaint can be confirmed from the accessible text.

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The Guardian
12 September 2022 · festival review · Benjamin Lee
62*

Lee finds it a solid but ultimately flawed crime drama that loses momentum near the end. He especially praises Jessica Chastain’s subtle, affecting performance, while noting that Eddie Redmayne’s character feels underdeveloped.

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Slant Magazine
16 September 2022 · ★★/4 · Mark Hanson
50

Hanson finds the film’s performances initially nuanced but says manufactured suspense and implausibilities undermine it. He praises the performances for a time, while criticizing the conventional thriller turn and histrionic climax.

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Los Angeles Times
25 October 2022 · Justin Chang
30*

Chang finds the film an uninsightful, forgettable true-crime drama that fails to make its killer compelling. He praises Jessica Chastain’s strong, unfussy performance, while criticizing Eddie Redmayne’s exaggerated portrayal.

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Deadline
12 September 2022 · festival review · Pete Hammond
95*

Hammond calls it one of 2022’s best films, praising its compelling, slow-burning approach. He singles out Jessica Chastain and Eddie Redmayne for two exceptional performances.

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Paste
25 October 2022 · 8.3/10 · Aurora Amidon
83

Amidon finds the film a thoughtful, compelling true-crime drama, elevated by two standout lead performances. She especially praises Eddie Redmayne’s quietly unnerving portrayal of Charles Cullen.

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NME
Recommended
78*

The review finds the film worthwhile despite its clichés and procedural shortcomings. It especially praises Jessica Chastain’s powerful, believable performance as Amy.

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Film Stories
12 October 2022 · Lauren Miles
75*

Miles finds the film a tense, worthwhile thriller, though its plot is somewhat predictable. She praises the subdued, emotionally resonant performances by Jessica Chastain and Eddie Redmayne.

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The Wrap
11 September 2022 · festival review
70*

The critic finds the film mostly effective, praising its tense, carefully paced procedural approach. Chastain’s warm, attentive performance stands out, though the film’s more theatrical moments undercut its subtlety.

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The Playlist
festival review
64*

The URL identifies this as a review of the specified film, but the page content is blocked. Its verdict and any particular praise or criticism cannot be verified.

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Digital Spy
26 October 2022 · Gabriella Geisinger
60*

The critic finds the film a slow-burning, well-crafted watch, though its intimate thriller and broader social commentary do not quite come together. They single out the sound design for drawing effective parallels between hospitals and prisons.

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/Film
12 September 2022 · 6/10 · Chris Evangelista
60

The critic finds the film disappointingly flat and lifeless despite its chilling true-crime premise. Redmayne’s subdued portrayal of Charlie is singled out as unsettling, while the contrived police subplot draws criticism.

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Consequence
26 October 2022 · Sam Rosenberg
35*

The critic finds the film a pallid procedural thriller that gestures toward systemic healthcare failures without exploring them deeply. They praise the performances of Jessica Chastain and Eddie Redmayne, while faulting the drama for feeling stiff and dreary.

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Eye for Film
7 January 2023 · Jennie Kermode
25*

Kermode finds the film flaccid, predictable and disappointing, despite Jessica Chastain’s strong performance. She especially praises Chastain for giving Amy depth, while criticizing the film for reducing victims to statistics.

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Ordered by the weight we give each publication, then by score. Scores are normalised to 100; * means inferred from an unrated review. Summaries are ours, not quotations; follow the links for the reviews themselves. How we rate