It’s the kind of movie that tends to haunt viewers with memories that linger for years after the credits roll. There’s simply no shaking this Lancaster performance.

| Jun 3, 2024

…The Swimmer’s social commentary is a little dated now perhaps, but the acerbic portrayal of the toxic American male in decline is captured in a way that should really sing for modern viewers…

| Original Score: 4/5 | Jun 16, 2023

Burt Lancaster’s performance is arguably his very best, with the actor recognizing his unique positioning to capture the rotted heart of this quickly evaporating creature.

| Original Score: 10/10 | May 15, 2023

Based on a short story by John Cheever, this movie is an allegory inconspicuously larded with the torment of regret. It is sprightly, tidy, and devastating in the same way that an episode of Mad Men ought to be and often is.

| Oct 5, 2022

As Ned embarks on his odyssey, his rich luxurious playground gradually turns into a nightmare. The beautiful paradise begins to shows signs of decay, rotting from the inside.

| Aug 23, 2022

...a deliberately-paced drama that's been suffused with a whole host of off-kilter and downright avant-garde elements...

| Original Score: 2.5/4 | Jan 17, 2021

A woefully forgotten gem from the 1960s ... a penetrating piece of introspection that was clearly ahead of its time.

| Original Score: 3.5/4 | Nov 6, 2020

Doubtlessly aggravating for those who wait the entire length of the movie only to realize that solid answers will remain elusive.

| Original Score: 6/10 | Aug 27, 2020

As effectively as almost any movie ever made about American suburbia, The Swimmer gets the contentment that comes with material success[...] And it gets how the fantasy is hard to sustain.

| Original Score: 4/5 | Apr 1, 2014

Beautifully shot and executed, the effort is generous with disturbing, puzzling behavior, yet wise enough to provide clear clues to aid interpretation.

| Original Score: A- | Mar 24, 2014

Full Review | Original Score: 4/5 | Sep 1, 2008

Frequently silly but oddly memorable and unsettling.

| Original Score: 2.5/4 | Oct 30, 2007

A resounding commercial flop, this has since been recognized as a signature 60s film, prescient in its view of American self-deception.

| Oct 30, 2007

A largely loony but oddly compulsive allegory.

| Jun 24, 2006

Ned Merrill is a tragic hero for the '60s, and it's one of Lancaster's most searing performances.

Full Review | Original Score: 4/5 | Oct 11, 2005

Full Review | Original Score: 3/5 | Jun 13, 2005

As do few movies, The Swimmer stays in the memory like an echo that never quite disappears.

| Original Score: 3.5/5 | May 9, 2005

Full Review | Original Score: 5/5 | Mar 8, 2005

Full Review | Original Score: 4/5 | Nov 23, 2004

Burt Lancaster is superb in his finest performance.

| Original Score: 4/4 | Oct 23, 2004