Dark Places
DARK PLACES
R
2015, Mystery & thriller, 1h 43m
TOMATOMETER82 Reviews
AUDIENCE SCORE5,000+ Ratings
WHAT TO KNOW
CRITICS CONSENSUS
Dark Places has a strong cast and bestselling source material, but none of it adds up to more than a mediocre thriller that gets tripped up on its own twists. Read critic reviews
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WHERE TO WATCH
DARK PLACES VIDEOS
DARK PLACES PHOTOS
MOVIE INFO
CAST & CREW
Libby Day
Lyle
Diondra
Young Ben Day
Young Libby
Old Ben Day
CRITIC REVIEWS FOR DARK PLACES
Paquet-Brenner invests the split-time action with some brooding menace and the cinematographer, Barry Ackroyd, does his best to lend some urgency, even as things spiral from suspense into outright silliness.
The film, overall, is fatally uncertain of its identity – never quite certain whether it’s a gruesome murder-mystery out to shock us or a heavy, character-based drama about a family torn apart.
Geoffrey MacnabIndependent (UK)
All in all, its contrivances might have been indulged more satisfyingly in a TV miniseries.
That unnerving way Flynn has of taking us to dark, deliciously twisted places has been utterly massacred.
The third offering from Flynn Dark Places does its best to stir a multitude of emotions within us, but in doing so, the film feels contrived and hurried.
Miriam Di NunzioChicago Sun-Times
The surface level generic pleasures of Dark Places and the stellar cast are entertaining enough, even if it doesn’t quite stick the landing.
Katie WalshTribune News Service
There is quite a bit to Dark Places that appears very marketable, at least on the surface.
‘Dark Places’ is a complete waste of time that wastes Theron, Moretz and the rest of the cast to give us a lazy thriller. [Full Review in Spanish]
Dark Places rarely rises above the level of tepid episode of “Cold Case.”
The possibility of fast-tracking another of Gillian Flynn’s intricately plotted thrillers from page to screen must have seemed like a fantastic idea… To call the final product a botch job would be a considerable kindness; it’s just plain awful.
[An] apathetic film with no fire in its belly.
All this leaves us with Charlize Theron, an unquestionably talented actress who has somehow failed to find her rightful place.
AUDIENCE REVIEWS FOR DARK PLACES
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Jun 25, 2016Coming off the success of ‘Gone Girl’, Dark Places is the adaptation of Gillian Flynn’s 2009 novel of the same name and it’s all about re-visiting an old case (25 years old) who some say is still unsolved, and so begins the movie. The story was adequate, I was kept intrigued throughout even if the film did drag in some places. The switching between past and present was needed in order to maintain the suspense and fill in details about the plot, so that was good choice. The film was well shot and well directed. Theron and Hoult were excellent, in fact the whole cast was good, especially Sheridan. So why did i not overly enjoy it? Firstly the major twist of the film is way too predictable, too many characters and not enough screen time to actually establish their purpose to the story and finally the characters themselves just aren’t likeable. We’re supposed to relate to Theron’s character and sympathise with her, but she just isn’t likeable and thus ultimately did not care for the outcome. If you have low expectations, you may enjoy this film for what it is, and that’s a slow dark mystery film…just don’t expect to be wowed by it.Luke ASUPER REVIEWER
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Jun 03, 2016Go in with lowered expectations, and you might end up doing alright out of Dark Places. If nothing else, you’ve got to at the very least admire that cast.Gimly MSUPER REVIEWER
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Jan 29, 2016An intense crime thriller, Dark Places is full of intrigue and suspense. The sole survivor of her family’s massacre, Libby Day is ask to look at the case one last time in order to exonerate her brother (who was convicted of the crime); but the deeper she looks the more she starts to suspect that her brother is hiding something. Starring Charlize Theron, Nicholas Hoult, Chloe Grace Moretz, and Christina Hendricks, the film has quite the impressive cast. And, the script does a good job at developing the mystery; telling the present day story in parallel with flashbacks to the events that led up to the murders. Still, the pacing can be rather slow at times, and the plot’s a bit complicated. Yet despite its weaknesses, Dark Places is a compelling film.Dann MSUPER REVIEWER
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Dec 09, 2015Kind of meh. Haven’t read the book so I don’t know how it sticks up against that. Not the worst film I’ve seen but this film ends up being pretty disjointed by its end.Stephen SSUPER REVIEWER
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