66
Metascore
10 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 90Film ThreatAlex SavelievFilm ThreatAlex SavelievIt’s artistic without being pretentious, thoughtful, and elegiac without treading into monotony, beautifully acted without drawing too much attention to its stars.
- 80The Daily BeastNick SchagerThe Daily BeastNick SchagerAs a hitman on an assignment in a far-flung locale, [McShane's] as good as he’s ever been, exuding a heft and danger that typifies this understated and affecting genre effort.
- 75San Francisco ChronicleMick LaSalleSan Francisco ChronicleMick LaSalleAmerican Star is a nice surprise. To hear it described, its premise sounds almost ridiculously predictable: Ian McShane as an old hit man on his last assignment. But the movie turns out to be a serious work that goes to unexpected places.
- 75RogerEbert.comMatt Zoller SeitzRogerEbert.comMatt Zoller SeitzThis is an unusually intelligent and purposeful movie that doesn't say much, but is full of feeling.
- 70ColliderColliderThere's no doubt that it's been a blast to watch McShane ham it up in the John Wick films over the last decade, but American Star offers a nice counterpoint, showing just how good the actor can be when given a role as layered and engrossing as this one.
- 60The New York TimesBen KenigsbergThe New York TimesBen KenigsbergDespite an oddball taste for wide-angle lenses, the director, Gonzalo López-Gallego, can sustain a solid slow burn. Still, neither McShane nor the scenery can take the rust off the basic scenario.
- 60VarietyJ. Kim MurphyVarietyJ. Kim MurphyThe director’s most rewarding decision: simply trusting McShane to summon the mood.
- 60Screen RantFerdosa AbdiScreen RantFerdosa AbdiEverything in American Star hinges on McShane's intuitive performance that rejects the obvious and embraces ambiguity.
- 60The GuardianLeslie FelperinThe GuardianLeslie FelperinDirector Gonzalo López-Gallego creates a strong frame around the characters in both visual and narrative terms, while a lovely score credited to Remate, mixed with well-chosen soundtrack cuts, creates a limpid poignancy.