75
Metascore
8 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 100Christian Science MonitorDavid SterrittChristian Science MonitorDavid SterrittWhat counts isn't the convoluted plot or exotic characters -- it's the brilliance of Suzuki's cinematic style, articulating the action with eye-boggling color and split-second editing effects.
- 90Village VoiceMichael AtkinsonVillage VoiceMichael AtkinsonSuzuki has made the ultimate meta-movie, a self-parodying, surrealist gangster daydream as intoxicating and insubstantial as an absinthe swoon.
- 88New York PostV.A. MusettoNew York PostV.A. MusettoThere's style and panache to spare. Mournful jazz adds to the mood.
- 80VarietyDennis HarveyVarietyDennis HarveyToo abstract and self-referential for the average action fan's comprehension. But buffs will be delighted by a package that finds the near-80-year-old helmer giddily tipping hat to the genre conventions, themes and over-the-top aesthetics that long since lent him mad-visionary status.
- 70TV Guide MagazineKen FoxTV Guide MagazineKen FoxThe audacious finale, which plays out in a wholly symbolic realm, will leave even the most adventurous moviegoers scratching their heads. See it with a friend; you'll appreciate the second opinion.
- 70The New York TimesA.O. ScottThe New York TimesA.O. ScottInsanely likable but suffers from anemia.
- 60The A.V. ClubScott TobiasThe A.V. ClubScott TobiasIf Pistol Opera turns out to be Suzuki's swan song, instead of just an anticlimactic comeback, no one can claim he didn't go out on his own stubborn terms.
- 40Film ThreatEric CamposFilm ThreatEric CamposSo now that I’ve seen one of “the master’s” films, I still can’t tell you what the appeal is. Pistol Opera is unique for sure, it just never made me want to follow it down its strange path.