[Soderbergh] tends to place most of the psychological and philosophical material in italics rather than trust an audience's intelligence, and he creates an overall sense of brusqueness.
– Jonathan Rosenbaum,
Chicago Reader,
29 Nov 2002
fresh:
A hushed, haunted tone poem about love and loss.
– Steve Murray,
Atlanta Journal-Constitution,
29 Nov 2002
fresh:
I prefer Soderbergh's concentration on his two lovers over Tarkovsky's mostly male, mostly patriarchal debating societies.
– Andrew Sarris,
New York Observer,
19 Dec 2002
rotten:
Fiasco of infuriating pretentiousness and numbing incoherence.
– Rex Reed,
New York Observer,
19 Dec 2002
fresh:
Scripted, shot, directed and edited by Soderbergh with his customary intelligence and assurance, this is perhaps the most ambiguous and cerebrally sophisticated Hollywood movie in nearly three decades.