73
Metascore
8 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 80Arizona RepublicBill GoodykoontzArizona RepublicBill GoodykoontzWith Transpecos, Kwedar doesn’t offer any easy answers. Instead he points out the problems, how entrenched and intertwined they are, and asks other questions: How far will you go to survive? And will it be enough in the end?
- 80Los Angeles TimesMichael RechtshaffenLos Angeles TimesMichael RechtshaffenUnlike the highly charged “Sicario” and other recent drug trade-themed movies, the film, shot in New Mexico, eschews explosive confrontations and political judgments in favor of complex, thoughtfully portrayed characters and tense, compelling situations.
- All three leads bring the goods, but it is Luna, carrying much of the emotional weight of the film, who shines the brightest, showing a depth and countenance well beyond his years.
- 75Slant MagazineOleg IvanovSlant MagazineOleg IvanovViolence in Transpecos is sparse, but the filmmakers use it with a narrative precision that highlights the unforgiving consequences that accompanies every choice in this desolate borderland.
- 75The Globe and Mail (Toronto)Brad WheelerThe Globe and Mail (Toronto)Brad WheelerThe song playing sombrely over the tail credits is Afraid of Everyone, which is a hell of a way to die, but an even worse way to live. There is no cheer to Transpecos.
- 70Village VoiceKenji FujishimaVillage VoiceKenji FujishimaTranspecos distinguishes itself with a sharp ear for dialogue, keen attention to ground-level detail, and an ending that unexpectedly chooses cautious optimism over blanket cynicism.
- 70The New York TimesJeannette CatsoulisThe New York TimesJeannette CatsoulisThough rife with implausibilities, Transpecos is fortified by strong acting and a location whose desolate beauty is a gift to Jeffrey Waldron’s serene camera.
- 67Entertainment WeeklyChris NashawatyEntertainment WeeklyChris NashawatyTranspecos is a lean-and-mean atmospheric thriller that starts off tautly but ultimately slackens as it goes along.