In My Country (2005)
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:80
Fresh:18
Rotten:62
Average Rating:4.8/10
Consensus: A well-intentioned but melodramatic look at post-Apartheid South Africa.
Runtime: 1 hr 44 mins
Genre: Dramas
Synopsis: Langston Whitfield (Samuel L. Jackson) is a Washington Post journalist. His editor provocatively sends him to South Africa to cover the Truth and Reconciliation Commission hearings, in which the... [More]
Starring: Juliette Binoche, Samuel L. Jackson, Brendan Gleeson, Menzi "Ngubs" Ngubane
Director: John Boorman
Reviews for In My Country
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 C+ |
In spite of narrative missteps that negate the possibility of an empathetic protagonist, "In My Country" does viably introduce the African principle of "Ubuntu" whereby evil transgressions are absolved rather than revenged. Full Review |
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2/5 |
A familiar, superficial lesson. Full Review |
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2.5/5 |
Points for trying and all, but this particular chapter of South Africa's history deserves a movie a bit more sincere -- and a lot less corny. Full Review |
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3/5 |
It shows what can go wrong when a good-intentioned filmmaker mixes historical tragedy with Hollywood banality. Full Review |
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 3/4 |
Intelligent piece that does its job as entertainment. More importantly, it should advance public knowledge about the apartheid government's human rights violations. Full Review |
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1.5/4 |
Watching [apartheid victims’] testimony become background noise for Jackson and Binoche's tawdry melodrama is aggravating. Full Review |
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2/4 |
Its star, Juliette Binoche, may be a fine actress, but she's also very French. And no matter how hard she tries to perfect the tricky Afrikaans accent, she's simply not believable playing a South African poet. Full Review |
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C |
I do not question the filmmaker's sincerity, but he has made a flat, uninvolving movie. The road to boredom is paved with good intentions, after all. Full Review |
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B- |
...the foxhole relationship that develops between Anna and Langston is completely natural -- up until the point where they fall into bed together. Full Review |
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2/4 |
The gripping material is given short thrift in favor of routine melodrama and a love story that has nearly nothing to do with what should be the crux of the story. Full Review |
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2/5 |
There is great material here and ample food for thought, but the presentation is lacking. Full Review |
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2/4 |
Ostensibly about the aftermath of apartheid, but the pain of a people serves only as a backdrop for the most contrived of love stories. Full Review |
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2/4 |
You feel insulted you're expected to care about the petty problems of the leads when other characters are dealing with child murder, political torture and genocide. Full Review |
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[E]xhaustingly heartbreaking... An unforgettable film about justice... Full Review |
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1/4 |
We want to know more about the stories of real-life South Africans, but the Oscar nominees keep standing right in front of them. Full Review |
CommentLatest News for In My Country
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September 08, 2005:
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