69
Metascore
33 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 88PremiereEthan AlterPremiereEthan AlterIf The Painted Veil ultimately lacks some of the novelty and ambition of the year's best pictures, it still ranks as one of 2006's quiet gems.
- 88USA TodayClaudia PuigUSA TodayClaudia PuigThe Painted Veil is a welcome addition to the slate of holiday movies, particularly for those drawn to intriguing tales of multi-dimensional characters in exotic settings.
- 75Rolling StonePeter TraversRolling StonePeter TraversThe Painted Veil has the power and intimacy of a timeless love story. By all means, let it sweep you away.
- 75ReelViewsJames BerardinelliReelViewsJames BerardinelliA lot takes place during The Painted Veil's two-hour running length, but most of what happens occurs within the hearts and minds of the leads.
- 70The Hollywood ReporterKirk HoneycuttThe Hollywood ReporterKirk HoneycuttThe film is unusual in that it is a co-production with the Chinese. Whatever difficulties this imposed on the Western filmmakers, the reward is a period film that feel authentic to its time and place.
- 70Village VoiceVillage VoiceBolstered by a strong ensemble-- "Infamous's" Toby Jones as a deputy commissioner gone native, and a wonderfully wrinkled Diana Rigg as a Mother Superior, speaking up for disillusioned decency--and by the ecstatic cinematography of Stuart Dryburgh, The Painted Veil lifts Maugham's story clear of its prissy, attenuated spirituality, and into genuine passion.
- 70The New York TimesManohla DargisThe New York TimesManohla DargisWhether through craft or constitution, Mr. Norton invests Walter with a petty cruelty that makes his character’s emotional thaw and Kitty’s predicament all the more poignant.
- 60VarietyTodd McCarthyVarietyTodd McCarthyIntelligent scripting, solid thesping and eye-catching location shooting aren't enough to make a compelling modern film of The Painted Veil.
- 60Los Angeles TimesCarina ChocanoLos Angeles TimesCarina ChocanoThe Painted Veil has all the elements in place to be a great epic, but it fails to connect, to paraphrase Maugham's contemporary E.M. Forster, the prose with the passion. It's impeccable, but leaves you cold.