Name : Daniel M. Gold / Alias : New York Times
This film maintains its anxious themes throughout, which makes for some tedious stretches because the tension never breaks. Despite that, or maybe because of it, "Gabriel" is unexpectedly absorbing.

Name : Joe Neumaier / Alias : New York Daily News
Rory Culkin's turn in the deeply felt and haunting "Gabriel" is so powerful you can't look away.

Name : David Rooney / Alias : Hollywood Reporter
The intense, uncomfortable drama's downbeat nature is offset to a degree by the sensitivity of its observation, but the film serves primarily as a showcase for the emotionally raw lead performance of Rory Culkin.

Name : Mike D'Angelo / Alias : AV Club
Gabriel, the first feature written and directed by Lou Howe, gives Culkin an opportunity to demonstrate serious range, and he takes full advantage; if this film doesn't ignite his career, it'll only be because too few people see it.

Name : Ronnie Scheib / Alias : Variety
Gabriel's dilemma, though suitably heartbreaking, and goosed along by Patrick Higgins' tension-stringed score, ultimately becomes as wearisome to viewers as it is to his exhausted clan.

Name : Michael Rechtshaffen / Alias : Los Angeles Times
Although the performances are uniformly on point and the dialogue is tartly British, the film ultimately fails to earn its riotous stripes.

Name : Peter Howell / Alias : Toronto Star
The Riot Club comes with the dubious ambition of instructing us as to the evil ways of spoiled British toffs, as if that were needed.

Name : David Rooney / Alias : Hollywood Reporter
While the dark drama is never dull, its portrait of upper-crust entitlement run amok is seldom surprising either.

Name : Inkoo Kang / Alias : Village Voice
Scherfig's stagings of these suspenseful set pieces are masterful, but the rest of the thriller is a fairly predictable manifesto against Britain's de facto oligarchy.

Name : Chris Nashawaty / Alias : Entertainment Weekly
For a movie about a bunch of debauched Oxford swells, The Riot Club is remarkably lacking in wit.and debauchery, for that matter.

Name : Tomas Hachard / Alias : NPR
It's all quite superficial, but never less than gripping, and is aided by an ending that at least doesn't compromise too much-the movie finishes with a smirk more than a smile.

Name : Stephen Holden / Alias : New York Times
I was drained and quivering with fury and disgust.

Name : Graham Fuller / Alias : New York Daily News
[An] engaging but malignant look at male privilege run amok.

Name : Peter Debruge / Alias : Variety
Brits might object to such an enraging portrayal, which veers between salacious and cynical, though Scherfig's unique perspective is just one more reason she was such a smart choice to handle this material.

Name : Mike D'Angelo / Alias : AV Club
An alleged cautionary tale that revels in bad behavior for nearly two hours before finally offering up a stern "tsk, tsk, tsk."

Name : Cath Clarke / Alias : Time Out
A darkly funny, colossally unflattering send-up of The Bullingdon Club.

Name : Kyle Smith / Alias : New York Post
Scherfig, who showed such subtlety in "An Education," this time proves embarrassingly vulgar, giving the film the unfortunate aura of an angry leaflet being handed out on a street corner by a wild-eyed protester.