--- title: "Black Rabbit: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/tv/black-rabbit/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/tv/black-rabbit" critics_score: 58 critics_reviews: 9 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." --- # Black Rabbit (2025): what the critics said Critics' score 58 from 9 reviews: 5 positive, 1 mixed, 3 negative. The reviews lean positive on Black Rabbit, though the consensus is sharply divided. Praise centres on Jude Law and Jason Bateman as troubled brothers, with their chemistry giving the crime drama its emotional force. Admirers find the story of addiction, codependency and family dysfunction tense and involving, even when it becomes punishing. Bateman draws particular praise from The Telegraph, which finds him compelling as the likeable disaster of the pair. The disagreement is over whether the brothers’ downward spiral earns sustained attention. Detractors find them thinly drawn and difficult to care about, and see the accumulating misery as exhausting rather than moving. Structure also divides critics: The Times calls it daring, while NME finds it awkward despite admiring the performances and family drama. Even The Hollywood Reporter’s strongly negative assessment makes exceptions for Troy Kotsur’s supporting performance and the tense direction of the final two episodes. ## Vulture Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 16 September 2025. The review highlights the sublime brother act between Jason Bateman and Jude Law as the core strength, with their chemistry anchoring the anxiety-inducing story of codependency, addiction, and family dysfunction. It calls the series riveting and devastating with mercurial performances amid a dense, escalating plot. [Read the review](https://www.vulture.com/article/black-rabbit-jason-bateman-jude-law-netflix-series-review.html) ## The Telegraph — Anita Singh Rating 4/5. 18 September 2025. While Law is fine, Bateman excels as the likeable disaster brother in this salty crime saga that builds from a restaurant drama into something more engaging, worth watching. [Read the review](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/tv/0/black-rabbit-netflix-review/) ## IndieWire — Ben Travers Rating C-. 18 September 2025. The critic finds the limited series an unbearably bleak Netflix thriller tracking two brothers on a dismal downward spiral of their own designs. It praises the dedicated cast and scurrying, seamy vision of New York City but calls the story exhausting misery for the sake of misery. [Read the review](https://indiewire.com/criticism/shows/black-rabbit-review-jason-bateman-netflix-series-1235149388) ## Variety — Alison Herman Fi1m's normalised score 35/100 (inferred from the text). 18 September 2025. The critic finds the Netflix series draggy and dated overall, struggling to sustain interest across eight episodes despite its New York nightlife setting and restaurant milieu. The unpleasant, unrepentant brother protagonists (and the lack of charm or investment in them) are singled out as a core flaw that hinders engagement. [Read the review](https://variety.com/2025/tv/reviews/black-rabbit-review-jude-law-jason-bateman-1236515363/) ## The Guardian Fi1m's normalised score 30/100 (inferred from the text). 18 September 2025. The critic finds it almost impossible to care about the lead characters, who are poorly sketched or stupid, making the series a relentlessly cheerless watch despite some action. [Read the review](https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2025/sep/18/black-rabbit-review-its-almost-impossible-to-care-about-jude-law-and-jason-bateman-in-this-tv-misery) ## The Hollywood Reporter — Daniel Fienberg Fi1m's normalised score 30/100 (inferred from the text). 16 September 2025. The critic finds the series a blandly bleak antihero drama mixing elements of The Bear, Uncut Gems and Ozark, with unlikable bumbling brothers, clichéd plotting and weak character development. Praise goes to the tense, well-directed final two episodes by Kurzel and a strong supporting turn from Troy Kotsur. [Read the review](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-reviews/black-rabbit-review-jude-law-jason-bateman-netflix-1236369814/) ## The Times — Tim Glanfield Rating ★★★★☆. 18 September 2025. Law and Bateman excel in this crime drama that mixes Ozark and The Bear elements with strong performances and a daring structure. [Read the review](https://www.thetimes.com/culture/tv-radio/article/black-rabbit-forget-the-bear-review-jude-law-finds-restaurant-chaos-is-criminal-nwr88gn2m) ## NME — Paul Bradshaw Rating 4/5. 19 September 2025. The critic praises the gritty thriller with strong performances from Jude Law and Jason Bateman as troubled brothers, noting its character work and thriller elements despite a slow start and awkward structure. They single out the family drama and the actors' performances for praise. [Read the review](https://www.nme.com/reviews/tv-reviews/black-rabbit-review-jude-law-jason-bateman-netflix-3892952) ## Den of Geek — Erin Qualey Fi1m's normalised score 75/100 (inferred from the text). 19 September 2025. The critic compares the series to Uncut Gems for its stress-inducing examination of behavioral addictions and co-dependency between the brothers, noting it evokes even more anxiety over a longer runtime. It praises the electric chemistry between Law and Bateman and the emotional payoff in the coda despite the despair. [Read the review](https://www.denofgeek.com/tv/netflix-black-rabbit-more-stressful-uncut-gems/) ## Collider — Maggie Lovitt Rating 7/10. 18 September 2025. The review highlights the gripping narrative and standout performances by Law and Bateman as brothers in a dark cautionary tale, praising the ensemble and direction, while noting some flaws in underdeveloped characters and pacing demands. [Read the review](https://collider.com/black-rabbit-netflix-review-jude-law-jason-bateman/) --- © 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/tv/black-rabbit.md