To watch "Lives" is not just to enjoy a fabulously constructed timepiece; it's to appreciate a deft cautionary tale.Read Full Review »
100
Time: Richard Corliss
Smartly crafted, impeccably acted, The Lives of Others packs a subtle punch, from its creepy first images to its poignant finale.Read Full Review »
100
Philadelphia Inquirer: Carrie Rickey
Lives is a best-foreign-film nominee competing in a year that at least three movies in this category are stronger than Oscar's best-picture contenders.Read Full Review »
100
Slate: Dana Stevens
It's an intricate, ambiguous and deeply satisfying movie, a tautly plotted tale of state surveillance and personal betrayal that ultimately becomes an ode to the transformative power of art.Read Full Review »
100
CHICAGO SUN-TIMES: Roger Ebert
A powerful but quiet film, constructed of hidden thoughts and secret desires.Read Full Review »
100
USA Today: Claudia Puig
A thoroughly compelling political thriller, at once intellectually challenging and profoundly emotional.Read Full Review »
100
The New York Times: A.O. Scott
The easy, complacent distance that informs much historical filmmaking is almost entirely absent from this supremely intelligent, unfailingly honest movie.Read Full Review »
It's hard to believe this is von Donnersmarck's first feature. His storytelling gifts have the novelistic richness of a seasoned master. The accelerating plot twists are more than just clever surprises; they reverberate with deep and painful ironies, creating both suspense and an emotional impact all the more powerful because it creeps up so quietly.Read Full Review »
90
LOS ANGELES TIMES: Kenneth Turan
It convincingly demonstrates that when done right, moral and political quandaries can be the most intensely dramatic dilemmas of all.Read Full Review »
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