Matt Oakes Silver Screen Riot Oct 15, 2026 B-

Lobbing stink bombs at corporations may seem like a fruitless undertaking, especially under the auspices of Fox Searchlight, but at least Batmanglij is taking a step in the right direction.

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Eddie Harrison film-authority.com Mar 6, 2023 4/5

…The East is a minor gem as far as subversive, intelligent thrillers go…

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Brian Eggert Deep Focus Review Aug 23, 2022 3/4

That the film leaves us thinking about our morals yet has involved us in the entertaining intrigue of a spy drama is a testament to its effectiveness as a thriller and a project with something to say.

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Jordan M. Smith IONCINEMA.com Nov 12, 2020

One of those rare films that brings fringe affairs to the fore through broadly entertaining engagement, The East is a fiery, enthralling work of political fiction and a meteoric flare of hope for the future of mainstream cinema.

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Leigh Paatsch Herald Sun (Australia) Aug 6, 2020 3.5/5

Fascinating drama set in the shadowy world of ecoterrorism.

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Ryan Syrek The Reader (Omaha, NE) Aug 27, 2019 B+

There are only two choices: either you love Brit Marling or you will love Brit Marling. The proof is The East.

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Patrick Gamble CineVue Feb 26, 2019 3/5

A perfectly functional, if somewhat underwhelming thriller, Batmanglij's The East feels all too much like a more grown-up and less naive version of the director's previous outing.

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Terence Johnson AwardsCircuit.com Aug 26, 2018 2.5/4

One of the most enchanting boring movies put to screen.

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Emma Dibdin The Arts Desk May 21, 2018 3/5

As it is, crippling plot holes and underdrawn characters may mean you're less than wholly seduced by The East.

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Candice Frederick Reel Talk Online Sep 7, 2017 B+

Its the rather sensitive portrayals from each character that you will remember the most.

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Wesley Morris Grantland Jan 6, 2014

Marling and Batmanglij don't fear or resent entertainment: They make effective thrillers... If they reach a major studio and bigger budget, they could be the right kind of dangerous.

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Piers Marchant Arkansas Democrat-Gazette Jan 1, 2014

The whole thing feels strident and naive, a well-meaning drama composed by a couple of college kids for their Environmental Science final.

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Jim Lane Sacramento News & Review Jan 1, 2014 2/5

The total effect is affected, annoying and off-putting.

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Travis Hopson Examiner.com Oct 5, 2013 3.5/5

Provocative and exciting, with bigger set pieces and a fierce devotion to character development, this is the sort of smart genre thriller that Hollywood needs more of.

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David 'Mad Dog' Bradley Rip It Up Sep 29, 2013 3/5

Marling's committed performance is offset slightly by Skarsgård's glumness and the 'surprise' casting of Page, who plays the part like Juno grown up (sort of) and turned vengeful communist psychopath.

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Cameron Williams The Popcorn Junkie Sep 26, 2013 3/5

Immaculately made with a thought-provoking emphasis on corporate espionage, it's just missing intensity and grit

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Jason Best Movie Talk Aug 5, 2013

If you start off seeing the film's moral world in simple black and white terms - greedy one percent on one side; righteous activists on the other - you'll be left uneasy... but Marling and Batmanglij deliver gripping suspense and challenging ideas.

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Scott Tobias The Dissolve Jul 11, 2013 2.5/5

The biggest issue with The East is that Batmanglij and Marling so thoroughly rig the script in the environmentalists' favor.

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Eric D. Snider About.com Jul 10, 2013 B

an engaging and almost uncomfortably thought-provoking dramatic thriller about what we -- as individuals and as a society -- value most.

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David Nusair Reel Film Reviews Jul 8, 2013 2.5/4

...a completely average piece of work that pales in comparison to Sound of My Voice.

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