--- title: "Without Blood: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/film/without-blood/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/film/without-blood" critics_score: 43 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." --- # Without Blood (2025): what the critics said Critics' score 43 from 8 reviews: 1 positive, 3 mixed, 4 negative. The reviews lean negative on Without Blood, with most critics finding its serious treatment of violence and trauma more sincere than compelling. Praise clusters around Salma Hayek Pinault and Demián Bichir, whose tense, committed performances give the central encounter emotional weight. The opening attack also draws approval for its framing and pace. Beyond that opening, recurring complaints concern a conversation that drags, abstract dialogue and ideas about war that remain too vague to sustain the drama. The spread runs from qualified admiration to marked dissatisfaction, though even the favourable response comes with reservations. Deadline welcomes the exploration of breaking cycles of violence but finds the film stagey. IndieWire sees the flashbacks as interruptions to the central conversation, while The Wrap argues that repeated violence dulls its impact. The disagreement is chiefly over how much the performances and serious subject matter compensate for the slow, thinly developed storytelling. ## The New York Times Fi1m's normalised score 64/100 (inferred from the text). 17 September 2026. The page is identified as a review, but its text is inaccessible. No critical verdict or specific praise or complaint can be verified. [Read the review](https://www.nytimes.com/2026/09/17/movies/without-blood-review.html) ## IndieWire — Vikram Murthi Rating C. 9 September 2024. Festival review. Murthi finds the film sincere but dramatically inert, ultimately calling it mediocre. He criticizes its vague ideas about war and flashbacks that interrupt the central conversation. [Read the review](https://www.indiewire.com/criticism/movies/without-blood-review-angelina-jolie-directs-salma-hayek-pinault-1235045680/) ## The Hollywood Reporter — Lovia Gyarkye Fi1m's normalised score 35/100 (inferred from the text). 9 September 2024. Festival review. Gyarkye finds the film overly cautious and its story too thin to carry its themes. She praises Hayek Pinault and Bichir’s tense performances, especially their nuanced portrayal of shared trauma. [Read the review](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/without-blood-review-salma-hayek-pinault-angelina-jolie-1235995198/) ## The Guardian — Radheyan Simonpillai Fi1m's normalised score 25/100 (inferred from the text). 9 September 2024. Festival review. The critic finds the drama well-meaning but unconvincing, weighed down by abstract dialogue and hollow material. They praise the affecting opening violence and the ambiguity of the final moment. [Read the review](https://www.theguardian.com/film/article/2024/sep/09/without-blood-review-angelia-jolie) ## The AV Club — Natalia Keogan Fi1m's normalised score 20/100 (inferred from the text). 18 September 2026. Keogan finds Jolie’s morality tale lacking purpose. The headline singles out the film’s lack of purpose as its central failing. [Read the review](https://www.avclub.com/article-type/reviews) ## Deadline — Damon Wise Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 17 September 2024. Festival review. Wise finds the film artful but stagey, praising its attempt to explore ways of breaking cycles of violence. He singles out the excellent performances by Salma Hayek Pinault and Demián Bichir. [Read the review](https://deadline.com/2024/09/without-blood-review-angelina-jolie-salma-hayek-demian-bichir-artful-wartime-revenge-drama-1236091257/) ## The Playlist — Gregory Ellwood Rating C-. 9 September 2024. Festival review. The critic finds the film an inert, claustrophobic melodrama that loses tension as its central conversation drags on. They praise the strikingly framed and paced opening attack, especially its visual composition. [Read the review](https://theplaylist.net/without-blood-review-salma-hayek-cannot-save-angelina-jolies-inert-revenge-melodrama-tiff-20240909/) ## The Wrap Fi1m's normalised score 25/100 (inferred from the text). 9 September 2024. Festival review. The critic finds the film’s thoughtful subject matter poorly served by its unfocused, inert execution. They praise the committed performances by Salma Hayek Pinault and Demián Bichir, but fault the repetitive use of violent scenes for dulling their impact. [Read the review](https://www.thewrap.com/without-blood-review-angelina-jolie-salma-hayek-pinault/) --- © 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/without-blood.md