Critic Reviews

[Cumberbatch's] fussy performance comes with some grating Sherlockian tics: voice-over, imaginary sequences, the recurring sound of British earth moaning. But this fascinating first-draft-of-history thriller captures the tragic complexity, techno-paranoia and Orwellian absurdity of the Brexit vote. [18 Jan 2019, p.50]

Brexit is briskly entertaining, driven by a different kind of lead performance from Benedict Cumberbatch--he's less leading man (he's balding and pasty here) and more leading brain, which of course he also excels at. ... For Americans, even if that story isn't our own, it's absolutely relatable and that makes it interesting.

Almost inappropriately entertaining. ... [James] Graham stays defiantly nonpartisan throughout, even if he heightens the three most bombastic media presences of the pro-Brexit debate--the politicians Nigel Farage (Paul Ryan) and Boris Johnson (Richard Goulding), and the businessman and political donor Arron Banks (Lee Boardman)--into caricatures, a Greek chorus of squirm-inducing comic relief.

90 minutes of shocking but surprisingly entertaining political theater.

It’s a crisp political-messaging procedural, outlining a triumph of data over knowledge and tribal fear over human reason. ... Brexit is nicely ambiguous as to whether Cummings is a misguided genius or simply a talented opportunist, and Cumberbatch is excellent at conveying the lonely monomania of a man stubbornly devoted to principles that only he recognizes.

The film does an impressive job explaining the complicated operation while still delivering a fast-paced and entertaining story, although figuring out who all the parliament and political players are here may be a bit harder to follow for American viewers, Boris Johnson and his tousled mop aside.

Reviewer Me says it’s entertaining, Cumberbatch is great, the script is pretty good. Philosopher Me still has a lot of questions.

What Brexit deftly captures is how Cummings sensed a growing majority of disappointment in his own country before the opposition knew how to bring those people back to their side. ... There are times when the McKay-esque style works against Brexit, making it feel flashier than it needed to be. I found Brexit most interesting in its calmer beats.

Graham’s script captures the nuances of Britain’s roiling identity crisis with deft insight, and the whole thing is packaged in such an enjoyably crowd-pleasing way that its flaws linger without dragging the proceedings down. It’s reductive and ham-fisted in its direction, sure, but still makes for a breezily engaging tale.

It’s a brisk, superficial, but smart film that essentially reminds us--repeatedly--of the potential outcomes in all the information we willingly provide about ourselves online.