84
Metascore
18 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 100The GuardianPeter BradshawThe GuardianPeter BradshawBoyega carries the film with a compelling authority of his own.
- 91ConsequenceClint WorthingtonConsequenceClint WorthingtonTonally, McQueen and co-writer Courttia Newland’s screenplay flits capably between character study, issue film, and cop drama so seamlessly you’ll barely notice it’s changed gears, and at eighty minutes there’s not an ounce of fat on it.
- 90TheWrapAlonso DuraldeTheWrapAlonso DuraldeIt’s a slower burn than those other two “Small Axe” entries, but it builds to a final scene between Boyega and Toussaint that’s quiet but shattering.
- 88RogerEbert.comOdie HendersonRogerEbert.comOdie HendersonRed, White and Blue got under my skin in ways I was not expecting. McQueen uses the police procedural format to interrogate what it’s like to be the only Black person in a hostile and racist job environment.
- 85SlashfilmHoai-Tran BuiSlashfilmHoai-Tran BuiIt is difficult and uneasy, and often feels more punishing than entertaining.
- 83IndieWireEric KohnIndieWireEric KohnMcQueen’s gripping true-life drama compensates for some of its more heavy-handed beats thanks to Boyega’s staggering, career-best performance and the fiery tone that surrounds it at every turn. The movie is both a ferocious indictment and a call to action that embodies Logan’s cause, even if it’s doomed from the start.
- 83The PlaylistRobert DanielsThe PlaylistRobert DanielsBoyega is superhuman here. Because no matter the decade, Logan isn’t an easy character to understand with regards to decision making. Yet Boyega’s sincerity holds us in this story, even when we can’t fully understand the why behind Logan.
- 83The A.V. ClubA.A. DowdThe A.V. ClubA.A. DowdRed, White And Blue is stark and straightforward, further proof that McQueen has distinguished each entry in his bold foray into small-screen storytelling.
- 80The Hollywood ReporterDavid RooneyThe Hollywood ReporterDavid RooneyMaking a unique police drama in itself is a considerable achievement. Red, White and Blue earns that distinction partly through its skilled avoidance of the standard beats of stories about rookie cops chafing against the establishment. But it's also a direct result of Logan's remarkable qualities as a real-life protagonist that enable it to transcend conventional bio-drama.
- 70VarietyOwen GleibermanVarietyOwen GleibermanYet Red, White and Blue mostly lacks the gritty period flavor of the other Small Axe films. It’s a little glossed over. The (minor) daring of the movie is its downbeat narrative. It’s structured like the air seeping out of a tire, so that it presents us with a character of idealistic strength, commitment, and personal heroism only to plop him into a set of circumstances that won’t allow him to be a hero.