11
Metascore
9 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 50Austin ChronicleAustin ChroniclePersecuted is a profoundly conservative, Christian ideological take, guised as a classic Seventies paranoid thriller. Certainly unique, this is another targeted release, specifically aimed at groups sharing its beliefs.
- 25New York PostKyle SmithNew York PostKyle SmithThe Lord works in mysterious ways but Persecuted works in blundering, obvious ways, straining a Christianity-under-attack theme through a dopey thriller.
- 25McClatchy-Tribune News ServiceRoger MooreMcClatchy-Tribune News ServiceRoger MooreA confused and confusing thriller.
- 25RogerEbert.comRogerEbert.comWhile Remar does his best to resist the film’s melodramatic tendencies — to no avail, ultimately — Thompson is the only one here who actually grounds the proceedings during his few moments on screen.
- 20The DissolveMike D'AngeloThe DissolveMike D'AngeloIf Persecuted wasn’t such a dire thriller, its sweaty fear of pluralism (Obama’s “We are no longer a Christian nation” speech gets handed to Davison’s evil senator here) might at least be amusing.
- 20The Hollywood ReporterFrank ScheckThe Hollywood ReporterFrank ScheckThe not so fair and balanced film might have made its religious themes palatable if it worked reasonably well as a thriller. But director/screenwriter Lusko shows no flair for the genre, his muddled execution lacking any sense of pacing or suspense.
- 10The New York TimesNeil GenzlingerThe New York TimesNeil GenzlingerThis terrible attempt at a political thriller for the religious right is aimed not at Christians in general but at a certain breed of them, the kind who feel as if the rest of the world were engaged in a giant conspiracy against their interpretation of good and truth.
- 0Slant MagazineTomas HachardSlant MagazineTomas HachardThere's no attempt to convince us that the world is being corrupted by people who haven't accepted the Gospel; it merely assumes we agree with that idea.
- 0VarietyJustin ChangVarietyJustin ChangAt a time when the world offers us no shortage of examples of what actual religious persecution looks like, for a film to indulge in this particular brand of self-righteous fearmongering isn’t just clueless or reckless; it’s an act of contemptible irresponsibility.