Most critics like it, and the praise lands almost entirely on the cast. Patricia Arquette’s Tilly Mitchell is named in nearly every review as the reason to watch, with Benicio del Toro and Paul Dano close behind. Ben Stiller’s direction draws steady credit for making a familiar prison-break story feel cinematic and claustrophobic, and several reviews note the care taken over small, closely observed detail.
The reservation is length. Seven hours, most agree, is more than the story needs, and even the warmer reviews concede it meanders. The spread is fairly wide: Collider finds it tense from start to finish, while The Hollywood Reporter calls the pacing a real problem and the characters too unpleasant to spend that long with. Variety adds that the story lacks any pressing reason to be told now. Nobody disputes the acting; the argument is over whether it justifies the running time.