49
Metascore
22 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 83Christian Science MonitorPeter RainerChristian Science MonitorPeter RainerIt radiates intelligence. Of how many historical epics can that be said these days?
- 67The A.V. ClubTasha RobinsonThe A.V. ClubTasha RobinsonIt's a polished, beautifully shot story, and it acknowledges the messiness of real life. But like real life, it's often baffling and frustrating.
- 63TV Guide MagazineKen FoxTV Guide MagazineKen FoxThis formulaic adventure pays tribute to George Hogg, a true hero largely forgotten everywhere but China, where a statue of him now stands -- a rare honor for a westerner.
- 60The New York TimesJeannette CatsoulisThe New York TimesJeannette CatsoulisRoger Spottiswoode directs with old-fashioned style, avoiding the saccharine with realistic depictions of a war-ravaged China (where he filmed) and a cast well versed in stiff-upper-lip.
- 50VarietyRobert KoehlerVarietyRobert KoehlerGiving Jonathan Rhys Meyers the kind of manly yet paternal role Spencer Tracy once mastered, this carefully wrought international production relates the basic story of reporter George Hogg without any vibrancy, emotion or style.
- 50Village VoiceVillage VoiceA tale as ploddingly familiar as it is good-looking and worth telling.
- 50USA TodayClaudia PuigUSA TodayClaudia PuigSometimes the most compelling real-life stories make better documentaries than dramas. Such would seem to be the case with The Children of Huang Shi.
- 40New York Daily NewsJoe NeumaierNew York Daily NewsJoe NeumaierNever achieves the David Lean style of epic it aims for - exterior vistas and interior dramas - but it has two charismatic performances, beautiful Chinese locations and an admirable lack of sentimentality.
- 38New York PostV.A. MusettoNew York PostV.A. MusettoBeautiful but boring.
- 25Entertainment WeeklyOwen GleibermanEntertainment WeeklyOwen GleibermanIt's like "Schindler's List" crossed with "The Sound of Music," and Roger Spottiswoode directs it in a stiff, lifeless, utterly dated style of international squareness.