Synopsis
Residents of a coastal town learn, with deadly consequences, the secret shared by the two mysterious women who have sought refuge at a local resort.
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Cast
- Gemma ArtertonClara Webb
- Saoirse RonanEleanor Webb
- Sam RileyDarvell
- Jonny Lee MillerRuthven
- Daniel MaysNoel
- Kate AshfieldGabi
- Maria Doyle KennedyMorag
- Uri GavrielSavella
- Thure LindhardtWerner
- Caleb Landry JonesFrank
- 90
New York Magazine (Vulture)
The movie is gorgeous, mesmerizing, poetic; the lyricism actually heightened by harsh jets of gore. - 80
Empire
A mixture of tough and wistful and reflective and brutal, this is the ideal vampire movie for Twi-hards who’ve had their hearts broken for the first time and want to move on to a less cosy vision of eternal romance with a side order of addiction. - 80
Time Out
Jordan’s poetic sensibilities more than make up for any flaws. His uncanny aptitude for conjuring up resonantly metaphorical images — from a pointed fingernail pushing toward a vein to a waterfall turning into a literal river of blood — proves there’s plenty of life left in this undead genre. - 75
IndieWire
By the standards of Jordan's earlier films, "Byzantium" is unquestionably a minor achievement, but its technical specs help flesh out a thick environment that elevates the proceedings to a lyrical plane. - 63
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)
Female-forward and class-conscious, allegorical and adventurous, Byzantium is almost the anti-Batman. - 63
Slant Magazine
Forlorn depictions of love and death may dignify Neil Jordan's film, but narrative withholding ultimately drives a stake into its unmistakable heart. - 63
McClatchy-Tribune News Service
There’s not much new here, but at least Byzantium has well-acted, compelling characters telling its time-worn tale with style. That’s the best we can hope for, these days, from this genre that will not die. - 60
Total Film
Jordan’s apparent resolve to make an anti-Twilight unfortunately results in a movie that, if not for a fistful of moments of shock, style and excess, would be as drained of colour and tension as Ronan’s victims are of hemoglobin.