SummaryAdapted from the gothic novel by Matthew G. Lewis, The Monk tells the tragic story of Brother Ambrosio in Catholic Spain during the 17th century. Abandoned at birth and left at the doors of the Capucins convent, Ambrosio becomes a devout monk admired for his faith and purity, but the arrival of a mysterious new pupil will shake his convictions an... Read More
Directed By:Dominik Moll
Written By:Dominik Moll, Anne-Louise Trividic, Matthew Lewis
The Monk
Metascore
Mixed or Average
56
User score
Mixed or Average
5.0
My Score
Drag or tap to give a rating
Hover and click to give a rating
Where to Watch
Not available in your country?
ExpressVPN
Get 3 Extra months free
$6.67/mth
Top Cast
Metascore
Mixed or Average
56
33% Positive
4 Reviews
4 Reviews
58% Mixed
7 Reviews
7 Reviews
8% Negative
1 Review
1 Review
Mar 7, 2013
75
Not to be mistaken for a serious treatment of religious fervor or clerical corruption, The Monk is instead a knowingly over-the-top bit of gothic nuttiness.
Mar 7, 2013
70
Dominik Moll downplays the overtly scandalous nature of the story, at least for a while, with a leisurely pace heavy on imagery. He’s made a beautiful-looking film that portends disaster. And disaster arrives, eventually. It just takes its time getting there.
Mar 5, 2013
60
The sense of old-school piety as lust under inhuman pressure is juicy and polished, if a little earnest about spiritual conflict and too entranced with its LOTR-ish medieval trappings. In fact, as monksploitation goes, Dominik Moll’s film is sober and straight when it should be crazy and hot-blooded.
Mar 5, 2013
60
Director Dominik Moll makes some odd style choices – like Looney Tunes-style ‘iris wipes’ – and it’s a while before Cassel fully embraces his dark side, yet his customary charisma is what seals The Monk’s redemption.
Mar 5, 2013
60
It is not a story of great depth or passion, but there are intriguing and unsettling moments on its well-crafted surface.
Mar 7, 2013
50
Mr. Moll, whose films include “With a Friend Like Harry...,” somewhat heroically manages to keep the story’s manifold twists from becoming knotted, but he’s less adept at setting up the characters and their relationships and especially the depth and significance of their faith.
Mar 8, 2013
38
Dominik Moll never addresses Matthew Gregory Lewis's original groundbreaking ideas in the film, nor does he rework the material for a contemporary audience.
User score
Mixed or Average
5.0
0% Positive
0 Ratings
0 Ratings
100% Mixed
4 Ratings
4 Ratings
0% Negative
0 Ratings
0 Ratings
Mar 10, 2013
6
In the 17th century Spain, a baby is abandoned on the steps of a monastery and grows up a devoted priest and inspirational speaker (!)…until a mysterious visitor changes everything. With menacing music, portentous direction and slow pacing, this dark French tale (yes, subtitles) ominously promises dread and shock. Promises. Promises. While we kept getting led on, expecting the worst, the path is bewildering and dumbly dense. A threatening promise with a disappointing payoff.
Production Company:
- Diaphana Production
- Morena Films
- El Monje La Pelicula AIE
- Estrategia Audiovisual
- France 3 Cinéma
- Canal+
- France Télévisions
- CinéCinéma
- Televisió de Catalunya (TV3)
- Coficup
- Backup Media
- Soficinéma 6
- Banque Postale Image 4
- Uni Étoile 8
- A Plus Image 2
- Eurimages
- Centre national du cinéma et de l'image animée (CNC)
- Région Languedoc-Roussillon
- Instituto de la Cinematografía y de las Artes Audiovisuales (ICAA)
- Instituto de Crédito Oficial (ICO)
- Memento Films International
- 120 Films
Release Date:Mar 8, 2013
Duration:1 h 41 m
Rating:R
Website:
Awards
World Soundtrack Awards
• 1 Win & 1 Nomination
Hollywood Film Awards
• 1 Win & 1 Nomination
