Oliver Twist (2005) Critic Reviews

A grounded and unusually matter-of-fact adaptation.Read the full review

Polanski's film is visually exact and detailed without being too picturesque. This is not Ye Olde London, but Ye Harrowing London, teeming with life and dispute.Read the full review

Yet precisely because this is by Roman Polanski, it's irresistible to read his sorrowful and seemingly classical take, from a filmmaker known as much for the schisms in his personal history as for the lurches in his work, as something much more personal and poignant.Read the full review

With tact and enthusiasm, Mr. Polanski grabs hold of a great book and rediscovers its true and enduring vitality.Read the full review

A respectable literary adaptation but lacks dramatic urgency and intriguing undercurrents.Read the full review

Polanski's version, though handsomely realized, is a fairly conventional rendering of the novel that probably won't be counted among his best films.Read the full review

The most effective counterweight to Polanski's fatalism is young Barney Clark, whose Oliver--although given to few words--is unshakably alive and responsive, even as he's being buffeted violently by forces beyond his control.Read the full review

The result is an expertly made, very watchable film that's curiously lacking in impact. By Polanski standards that has to be a disappointment.Read the full review

The big surprise in Polanski's Oliver is the lack of a discernible personal stamp, especially from such a directorial master of the macabre.Read the full review