--- title: "The Last Metro: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/film/the-last-metro/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/film/the-last-metro" critics_score: 66 critics_reviews: 8 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 Last Metro (1980): what the critics said Critics' score 66 from 8 reviews: 4 positive, 3 mixed, 1 negative. Most critics are fond of The Last Metro, though the affection stops short of a rave. The praise gathers around Truffaut’s restraint: the danger of Occupied Paris is kept at the edges of the frame rather than shouted, and several reviews find the film’s warmth and humanity its chief strength. Catherine Deneuve’s Marion is singled out repeatedly, and Variety picks out her scenes with Heinz Bennent and Gérard Depardieu in particular. The theatre company’s stubborn commitment to putting on a play is admired as much as the plot around it. The reservations cluster on the same restraint seen from the other side. Slant finds the portrait of the Occupation tasteful to the point of sanitised, and The New Yorker notes a plot that leans on coincidence and narrow escapes. Eye for Film calls the romance too muted and the theatricality a drag on tension. The spread is wide: Time Out goes furthest, arguing that Truffaut’s crowd-pleasing instinct threatens to swallow his talent. ## The AV Club — Keith Phipps Rating A-. 25 March 2009. Phipps praises the film’s warmth and humanity amid the peril of wartime occupation. He singles out Truffaut’s restrained depiction of danger and the theater company’s artistic commitment. [Read the review](https://www.avclub.com/the-last-metro-1798205892) ## Variety — Variety Staff Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 31 December 1979. The review calls the film richly satisfying, romantic, and uplifting while also finding it a fascinating portrait of life under occupation. It singles out the restrained direction and praises Catherine Deneuve’s performance, especially in her scenes with Heinz Bennent and Gérard Depardieu. [Read the review](https://variety.com/1979/film/reviews/le-dernier-metro-1200424718/) ## Empire — David Parkinson Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 1 January 2000. Parkinson presents the film as a humanist, personal take on Occupation-era Paris, while noting its nostalgic portrait drew criticism. He singles out Truffaut’s belief that everyone has their reasons as the film’s central strength. [Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/last-metro-review/) ## The New Yorker Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). The capsule presents the film as a vivid, historically grounded memory piece, though its plot balances on coincidences and narrow escapes. It praises Truffaut’s evocation of wartime Paris through firsthand details of the city and its pervasive antisemitism. [Read the review](https://www.newyorker.com/goings-on-about-town/movies/the-last-metro) ## The New York Times Fi1m's normalised score 64/100 (inferred from the text). 12 October 1980. The URL identifies a New York Times article titled “The Last Metro: A Melodrama of Sorts.” The page returned only an access prompt, so the critic’s verdict and specific praise or complaint could not be verified. [Read the review](https://www.nytimes.com/1980/10/12/arts/the-last-metroa-melodrama-of-sorts.html) ## Slant Magazine — Fernando F. Croce Rating 2.5/4. 24 March 2009. Croce finds the film charming and crowd-pleasing, but limited by fuzzy-centered nostalgia. He praises its warm performances and deft cinematography while faulting its tasteful, sanitized portrayal of Occupied Paris. [Read the review](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/the-last-metro/) ## Time Out — TM Fi1m's normalised score 35/100 (inferred from the text). The available description suggests a critical verdict on Truffaut’s move toward crowd-pleasing. It singles out that tendency as threatening to overwhelm his talent, though the full review is unavailable. [Read the review](https://www.timeout.com/movies/the-last-metro) ## Eye for Film — Amber Wilkinson Fi1m's normalised score 45/100 (inferred from the text). 16 June 2022. Wilkinson finds the film’s many strands oddly muted, with its romance too restrained and its theatricality undercutting tension. She praises the performances, especially Catherine Deneuve’s beguiling portrayal of Marion. [Read the review](https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/the-last-metro-1980-film-review-by-amber-wilkinson) --- © 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-last-metro.md