---
title: "The Killing of John Lennon: the reviews"
canonical: "https://film.one/film/the-killing-of-john-lennon/reviews"
title_page: "https://film.one/film/the-killing-of-john-lennon"
critics_score: 59
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 Killing of John Lennon (2007): what the critics said

Critics' score 59 from 7 reviews: 3 positive, 1 mixed, 3 negative.

## Variety — Eddie Cockrell

Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 15 May 2007. Festival review. 

Cockrell gives the film a strongly positive verdict, calling it a harrowing, propulsive character study. He especially praises Jonas Ball’s commanding performance and Piddington’s intense visual approach.

[Read the review](https://variety.com/2007/film/markets-festivals/the-killing-of-john-lennon-1200559392/)

## Empire — David Parkinson

Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 30 November 2007. 

The critic calls the film a transfixing recreation of the events surrounding Lennon’s murder. Jonas Bell’s performance, drawing on Chapman’s own words, is singled out as extraordinary and chilling.

[Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/killing-john-lennon-review/)

## The Guardian — Philip French

Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 9 December 2007. 

French gives a positive assessment of the film, highlighting its striking central performance. He also notes its grainy documentary-like look and the apparent use of authentic records.

[Read the review](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2007/dec/09/philipfrench.reviews)

## Slant Magazine — Ed Gonzalez

Rating 2/4. 26 December 2007. 

Gonzalez finds the film’s psychological portrait of Chapman unconvincing and overly detached. He faults its trivia-like details and staged scenes for avoiding any real diagnosis of Chapman’s rage.

[Read the review](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/the-killing-of-john-lennon/)

## Time Out — Derek Adams

Rating 2/5. 3 December 2007. 

The critic has several issues with the film’s reconstruction of the days before Lennon’s murder. They acknowledge its style, while questioning its claimed accuracy.

[Read the review](https://www.timeout.com/movies/the-killing-of-john-lennon)

## The Hollywood Reporter — The Associated Press

Fi1m's normalised score 35/100 (inferred from the text). 31 December 2007. 

The review finds the film technically proficient and historically authentic but ultimately exploitative and lacking sufficient depth. It praises Jonas Ball’s restrained, unsettling performance as Mark David Chapman.

[Read the review](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/killing-john-lennon-126070/)

## Eye for Film — Chris

Fi1m's normalised score 40/100 (inferred from the text). 7 September 2006. 

The critic finds the film watchable but ultimately unremarkable, overlong, and overly focused on the killer. The visual photography is praised, though the review says the film adds little and offers insufficient insight into Chapman’s state of mind.

[Read the review](https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/the-killing-of-john-lennon-film-review-by-chris)

---
© 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-killing-of-john-lennon.md