A shame so little time is spent on the mystery of Oliver's identity that hugely accentuates the pathos for his character.

| Original Score: 3/5 | Jul 16, 2021

Polanski's Oliver Twist is a flawed but harrowing, empathetic view of the world seen through the eyes of its most powerless and invisible citizens.

| Jan 30, 2020

Polanski and Harwood have streamlined the meandering narrative to Dickens' second novel, which may horrify purists, but which works well enough for the filmmakers' purposes.

| Original Score: 3/5 | Apr 27, 2019

Certainly Polanski deserves our gratitude for obliging the cast not to sink their teeth too deep into Dickens' juicy dialogue.

| Oct 17, 2018

A smorgasbord of urban decay, social disorder, and class conflict imbues the film with a potent sensuality

| Original Score: 79/100 | Aug 29, 2013

| Original Score: A- | Feb 18, 2012

Oliver Twist is an affecting and refreshing adaptation of Dickens seminal work from a master director.

| Original Score: 8/10 | Apr 25, 2011

The horrors are comfily buttressed by storybook polish

| Sep 1, 2009

The unspoken sense of youthful post-traumatic holocaust syndrome shock and awe in Polanski's Twist is as palpable as the murky stench and appalling human misery of Dickens' chaotic London streets.

| Feb 8, 2007

Polanski's film is not a bad adaptation, and it may be a fine way to introduce children to the classic story. But it is not exactly a definitive version of that story.

Full Review | Original Score: 2.5/4 | Sep 27, 2006

Probably the thing that Polanski's Oliver Twist does best, is deliver the mood of the day

| Jun 15, 2006

It's a respectful and respectable version of the story, albeit just a wee bit overlong.

| Original Score: 3/5 | May 12, 2006

With intelligence and style (inspired by the art of Gustave Dor and Francisco Sol), Polanski makes a rewarding contribution to Dickens' legacy on screen.

Full Review | Original Score: 3/4 | Feb 26, 2006

The movie understands what Polanski himself knew upon surviving the Holocaust--you take your kindness where you can find it, weighing its price along the way.

Full Review | Original Score: B+ | Feb 3, 2006

It just might supplant David Lean's 1948 version as the one that students turn to for a 2-hour study guide.

| Original Score: 4/5 | Jan 15, 2006

A severely overlooked, exceedingly well-done version of an oft-told tale...One of the best films of 2005.

| Original Score: 3.5/4 | Dec 28, 2005

[T]he maddening thing is not just that we hardly need another movie adaptation of [Oliver Twist] ... but that there are other Dickens books that haven't been given the major movie treatment that would better suit Polanski's temperament.

| Dec 26, 2005

...respectful without being slavish, nice to look at without ever being breathtaking, well cast and acted without ever deeply engaging our emotions.

Full Review | Dec 15, 2005

Falha ao jamais encontrar um tom adequado para sua narrativa: em certos momentos, excessivamente infantil; em outros, sombrio demais.

| Original Score: 2/5 | Nov 21, 2005

It's an impeccable production on a visual level and undeniably a well-made film, but the narrative often lacks the spark to bring it to life.

| Original Score: C+ | Oct 26, 2005