Critics reviews

This thriller has a lot of things that work well, and a lot of things that don't work well... The script is uneven but has decent bones, and the choice of shots can be confusing... The acting and action is mostly fantastic, even as the story becomes stilted by Duchovny's sleepy voiceover.

The plot is schematic, loaded with stark polarities, blunt ironies and repetition. That said, however, the film is oddly watchable. Yes, this is opportunistic, shallow and over-extended - but somewhere behind all the faddishness, there's a taut, pleasingly nasty B-thriller trying to get out.

While the idea behind the film is an interesting one, the characters are too shallow and the plot too neat to be truly engaging, while the overall look of the film is distinctly lacking.

Although the narrative seems a bit familiar and heavily drags itself out in the last third of the film, the best thing this film has going for it are the outstanding performances of Pitt and Lewis as a sort of white trash Romeo and Juliet cum Henry Lee and Becky.

[Kalifornia is] terrifying and horrifying, yes, but also unflinchingly honest, and so well acted that for most of the film I abandoned any detachment and just watched it as if I were observing the lives of real people.

[Kalifornia] lets its stars overact to the rafters as it vacillates between wild pretentiousness and occasional high style... Time and again, the film prefers an unusual angle... or a nutty gesture to anything more substantive.

Not only are none of these characters particularly fun to be with, but the inevitable violence that enters their lives is strong and unpleasant. Director Sena and cinematographer Bojan Bazelli have given “Kalifornia”... a slick and stylish look but that doesn’t make the encroaching mayhem any easier to take.

Though somewhat overplayed and coy about its destination, the film packs a helluva wallop... An extremely handsome production imbued with a chilling, surrealistic sensibility, “Kalifornia” is a visual and aural treat.