Filmmaker Julius Avery delivers an exceedingly erratic narrative that's at its best in a surprisingly captivating first half...

| Original Score: 2.5/4 | Aug 18, 2019

Nearly every narrative twist and character tic feels lifted from another film, so much so that one would readily believe this to be a direct remake of something.

| Original Score: 2.5/5 | Jul 18, 2019

The one saving grace is that although hilariously clichéd, Son of a Gun is also an entertaining and visceral thriller - though not always on purpose.

| Original Score: 2/5 | May 31, 2019

Simply a story of love and friendship. Both intertwined, both powerful. [Full review in Spanish]

| Original Score: 3/5 | May 3, 2019

It's not a setup we haven't seen before, yet Son of a Gun trots along at an effective pace, resulting in what is simply a good old-fashioned crime drama.

| Apr 18, 2019

Son of a Gun is an impressive debut from Avery and it shows that Australian cinema is on the rise once again.

| Original Score: 4/5 | Apr 12, 2019

Son of a Gun may be another gritty Australian crime offering, but it is also an enthusiastic, expressive and engrossing example of its genre.

| Apr 12, 2019

J.R. is a fascinating character, quiet and watchful, but equally interesting is McGregor as Brendan.

| Original Score: 3/4 | Apr 11, 2019

Vikander has barely a wisp of fictional personality to exploit. Still, the action is skilfully staged, there is a rough fug to the cinematography, and the double crosses are cunningly finessed.

| Original Score: 3/5 | Apr 11, 2019

There are some dumb thrills to be had but there is also the sense here of an ambition not quite realised.

| Original Score: 2/5 | Apr 4, 2019

It has one of the most inventive settings for a robbery in cinema history. And somehow - somehow - the movie blows it.

| Aug 10, 2018

Son is a pretty entertaining little shoot 'em up, almost entirely thanks to McGregor. Grizzled but wiry, he has the presence of a coiled spring, ready to launch at any moment.

| Original Score: 3.5/5 | May 22, 2016

Even a vampish Vikander can't make the perfectly pleasant JR exciting. In truth he's more son of a nun.

| Original Score: 2/5 | Dec 22, 2015

When the focus is firmly on McGregor and Thwaites, the movie crackles; the actors rip into the toxic father-son dynamic between their characters, and their rapport gives the key action sequences a real kick.

Full Review | Original Score: 3/5 | Apr 14, 2015

Julius Avery wrote and directed with an eye toward a fast pace and grim atmospherics.

| Apr 14, 2015

It's done extremely well and with a great deal of verve.

| Original Score: 3/5 | Apr 13, 2015

A reasonably engaging thriller, Son of a Gun is most notable for reminding us of that Ewan McGregor still possesses that irresistibly dangerous and edgy quality that propelled him to stardom in Shallow Grave and Trainspotting.

| Original Score: 3/5 | Apr 13, 2015

This may not be the brightest thriller in the cinema, but it's made with such a ripping sense of energy that it's thoroughly entertaining.

| Original Score: 3.5/5 | Apr 13, 2015

This is a film of tough men doing tough things, of shoot outs and car chases, and of backstabbing double crosses. This is what has been missing from action cinema lately, and it is refreshing and exciting to see something so propulsive.

| Original Score: 4/5 | Apr 13, 2015

The tension comes and goes and crime thriller cliches are dutifully observed (call it a B+ movie), but writer-director Julius Avery displays a muscular touch behind the camera.

| Original Score: 3/5 | Apr 13, 2015