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Boyd van Hoeij, The Hollywood Reporter:
"It is sadly unlikely that this will be playing on a big screen anywhere outside
of festivals and special events... Great actors including Shepard,
Harris, Bryan Cranston and Vincent D’Onofrio don’t have more than a scene or two
each." Lee Marshall, Screen Daily:
...An ensemble cast that includes some standout performances – particularly by
veterans Robert Duvall and Sam Shepard, both in minor roles. It’s the
adaptation itself that is the main issue: too respectful by half of its source
material, it gets bogged down, alongside the strike it depicts, in this overlong
film’s second hour... The estate's workers out on strike take refuge on the farm
of taciturn, old-school farmer Anderson with Shepard, emanating
old-school-acting authority." Owen Gleiberman, Variety:
"Sam Shepard plays a
rival farmer who agrees to house the workers in tents on his land in exchange
for their picking his crop for free. Shepard, who has always looked like he came
from the '30s, makes this farmer a compelling contradiction, a hard case with a
soft spot." Chiara Spagnoli Gabardi,
Shockya.com
"The film boasts a cast of first class actors such as Sam Shepard,
Robert Duvall, Vincent D’Onofrio and Ed Harris who deliver some of the best
performances of their careers. James Franco does a terrific job both as an actor
and director." Roger Moore, Movie Nation:
"Franco is well-cast as the veteran organizer who sees the cause and the big
picture as paramount. But Ed Harris all but steals the movie as Joy, a
clear-eyed fanatic whose passion has not dimmed even as the years of beatings by
armed strike-breakers have made him punch drunk."
Brian Tallerico, RogerEbert.com:
"As a director, Franco knows to get out of the way and let his veterans do that
which they do best. So, D’Onofrio, Duvall, Sam Shepard, and Ed Harris
give magnetic, lived-in performances. For the record, Franco himself is very
good here as well." Travis Hopson, punchdrunkcritics.com:
"I think if there is a consistent thread to Franco's work it's his ability
to coax great performances from his cast. It may be his own experience in front
of the camera but he does have a knack for it, which is why he's always able to
get so many talented people for what amount to extended cameos. Josh Hutcherson,
Bryan Cranston, Sam Shepard, Ashley Greene, and many more make worthy
contributions without overstaying their welcome." Ignatiy
Vishnevetsky, A.V. Club:
"Not even the holy trinity of codgers—Robert Duvall, Ed Harris, and Sam
Shepard, as, respectively, the pickers’ boss, an activist, and a local
farmer—can give life to this thing." |
