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(1 - 25) of 25 OFCS Rating: 92% Fresh Page   1   3.5/5 "A passionate and pitiless piece of work that fails only near the end when its internal political dogmatism outstrips and undercuts the story itself."   ToxicUniverse.com   Chris Barsanti 3.5/5 "Ultimately, the politics outweigh the poetry ... but it succeeds despite its hesitations and far-reaching ambition"   Filmcritic.com   Chris Cabin A "The film is an exceptional work of vigorous cinematic art filled with dynamic performances by its all-Irish cast. At 70, Ken Loach is as steadfast a filmmaker as ever."   ColeSmithey.com   Cole Smithey "Though the film uses a familiar narrative form -- two brothers torn apart -- it does so in a way that leaves the form itself in doubt, heroizing no one, offering no resolution."   PopMatters   Cynthia Fuchs 2.5/4 "The Wind That Shakes the Barley has a sober, authentic, down-to-earth feel to it."   rec.arts.movies.reviews   David N. Butterworth A- "Gripping old-fashioned political drama."   Ozus' World Movie Reviews   Dennis Schwartz "'The Wind That Shakes the Barley' descends to more Old Sod cinecliché than Titanic's belowdecks."   ReelTalk Movie Reviews   Donald J. Levit 4/5 "Un crudo relato sobre el movimiento independentista irlandés que confirma a Ken Loach como cineasta comprometido con la historia reciente y las injusticias."   Uruguay Total   Enrique Buchichio B "Though Loach's film loses some of its dramatic impetus in the second half, it illuminates the events that led to eight decades of tortured Irish history."   One Guy's Opinion   Frank Swietek 4/5 "A poignant drama about Ireland in the 1920s and the violence that tears apart the fabric of community and pits brother against brother."   Spirituality and Practice   Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat 3/4 "Alternately winsome and sadistic but always with an eye on the prize: freedom."   Palo Alto Weekly   Jeanne Aufmuth 2.5/4 "As a document of the shape of political thought, the film is successful; but as a living, beating heart about a populace living through a time of upheaval and confusion, it's mediocre."   Slant Magazine   Jeremiah Kipp 3.5/4 "Two or three scenes manage a forceful, punch-in-the-gut quality that wholly crystallizes the clear-minded sense of purpose that Loach strives for throughout."   MovieMartyr.com   Jeremy Heilman "I liked the way Loach let his camera run when his actors flubbed lines, but beyond that, Barley is no Golden Palm winner."   Planet Sick-Boy   Jon Popick 4/5 "Wind's not necessarily for the armchair historian; it's more gut-wrenching than intellectual."   Film-Forward.com   Kent Turner 3.5/4 "... powerful ..."   TV Guide's Movie Guide   Maitland McDonagh 4/5 "A social drama so well built that it can pump out thrills while fueling Damian's motivation."   Film Threat   Matthew Sorrento 4/5 "Powerfully authentic, gripping and emotionally shattering."   Shadows on the Wall   Rich Cline B+ "It transforms the simplistic polemic of the early scenes into something much deeper and more complex."   Flipside Movie Emporium   Rob Vaux 8/10 "A plain-spoken film of true grit that tells the dishonorable heartbreak of war like it is. A gem of filmic honesty in an entertainment world obsessed with heroic actions and simple solutions."   Monsters and Critics   Ron Wilkinson 3.5/5 "Director Ken Loach has courageously put death, destruction and discourse all over the screen, succeeding best in the atrocities and coming up short in the scenes of political idealism."   JWR   S. James Wegg A "It's unmistakably the work of aging cinema activist Ken Loach, who wears his social-justice heart on his sleeve..."   Seattle Post-Intelligencer   Sean Axmaker 8/10 "Bloody and brutal, evoking obvious, relevant comparisons between Ireland's internal conflicts and the ongoing civil war in Iraq."   www.susangranger.com   Susan Granger 9/10 "A brutal film...deeply moving yet painful to watch."   Antagony & Ecstasy   Tim Brayton "Click here to see review"   Wolf Entertainment Guide   William Wolf  (1 - 25) of 25 OFCS Rating: 92% Fresh Page   1