--- title: "The Rules of the Game: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/film/the-rules-of-the-game/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/film/the-rules-of-the-game" critics_score: 88 critics_reviews: 11 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 Rules of the Game (1939): what the critics said Critics' score 88 from 11 reviews: 11 positive, 0 mixed, 0 negative. The reviews are unanimously positive about The Rules of the Game, with praise clustering around Renoir’s direction, the deep-focus photography and the shifts between farce, melancholy and social criticism. Critics repeatedly single out the hunting sequence, while the long takes and layered staging draw admiration for keeping intricate relationships clear. Most critics also stress the film’s humanity: its account of French class divisions and pre-war complacency leaves space to understand the people it exposes. The differences concern emphasis and ease of appreciation rather than substantial objections. Some reviews foreground political anger and the sense of approaching war; others dwell on the comedy’s sympathy for compromised characters. The Telegraph offers the most qualified response, describing an appreciation that develops through repeat viewing as the upstairs-downstairs intrigue becomes clearer. Reservations are otherwise scarce, and the range runs from measured admiration to emphatic praise. ## RogerEbert.com — Roger Ebert Fi1m's normalised score 95/100 (inferred from the text). 29 February 2004. The critic hails the film as a magical and elusive masterpiece, simple yet labyrinthine, that blends farce with sharp social satire on the eve of war. He singles out the virtuoso deep-focus cinematography and the hunting sequence for particular praise. [Read the review](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/great-movie-the-rules-of-the-game-1939) ## Slant Magazine Fi1m's normalised score 95/100 (inferred from the text). 5 July 2023. The critic hails the film as representing cinema's possibilities in 106 minutes, praising its tonal control blending low comedy with tragedy and Renoir's gift for revealing the humanity of even contemptible characters. The review singles out the hunting scene and the precise version of the line about everyone having their reasons. [Read the review](https://www.slantmagazine.com/dvd/the-rules-of-the-game-4k-uhd-blu-ray-review-jean-renoir/) ## The New Yorker — Richard Brody Fi1m's normalised score 95/100 (inferred from the text). 30 July 2025. The critic calls the film a fiercely indignant yet exuberant tragic farce that denounces the frivolity and complicity of French high society before the war. He singles out its musical, operatic blending of tones and its political prescience. [Read the review](https://www.newyorker.com/culture/the-front-row/the-enduring-power-of-the-rules-of-the-game) ## Empire — David Parkinson Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 1 January 2000. The critic presents the film as an indisputable masterpiece, praising its deep focus technique, satirical bite, and technical marvels that continue to resonate. [Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/la-regle-du-jeu-review/) ## The AV Club — Scott Tobias Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 27 January 2004. The critic praises the restored 106-minute version of Renoir's masterpiece for balancing its scathing satire of the bourgeoisie with greater depth and humanity for the characters. The review highlights the hunting sequence and the film's famous line about everyone having their reasons. [Read the review](https://www.avclub.com/the-rules-of-the-game-dvd-1798199285) ## The Guardian Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 29 January 2006. The review highlights the film's satirical depiction of a morally bankrupt pre-war France and praises its innovative style with long takes and deep focus, calling it a bracing, humanist movie. [Read the review](https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2006/jan/29/1) ## The New York Times — Ben Kenigsberg Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 7 January 2021. The critic describes the film as an enduring classic whose balance of form and content makes it perfectly poised, a comedy of manners that subtly conveys the approach of World War II. He singles out its use of discretion in storytelling and technique. [Read the review](https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/07/movies/jean-renoir-rules-of-the-game.html) ## Time Out — NF Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 10 September 2012. The critic praises Renoir's brilliant social comedy, banned on release as too demoralising, for its audacious shifts between tones and its unjudging observation of romantic intrigues and social rivalries. The rabbit shoot, after-dinner entertainment and Renoir's own performance are highlighted as unforgettable elements in this hilarious yet melancholic portrait of class divisions. [Read the review](https://www.timeout.com/movies/la-regle-du-jeu) ## Los Angeles Times — Kevin Thomas Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 24 December 2006. The critic celebrates the digital restoration that allows viewers to see the 1939 masterpiece in its intended glory after decades of butchered prints. He singles out Renoir’s direction and the film’s status as a prophetic classic of world cinema. [Read the review](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2006-dec-24-ca-cinefile24-story.html) ## Variety Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 15 February 2004. The piece traces the film’s troubled release history and subsequent restorations, affirming its place among the greatest films ever made. It singles out Renoir’s depiction of French society and the technical achievements of the restored version. [Read the review](https://variety.com/2004/digital/features/the-rules-of-the-game-3-1200536431/) ## The Telegraph Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 22 September 2012. The critic describes how the film's greatness gradually revealed itself on revisiting, noting its intricate upstairs-downstairs intrigue and the precarious social world it portrays. [Read the review](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/film/classic-movies/9559660/Ive-fallen-slowly-in-love-with-Renoirs-romcom-La-Regle-du-jeu.html) --- © 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-rules-of-the-game.md