
A wounded criminal and his dying partner take refuge at a beachfront castle. The owners of the castle, a meek Englishman and his willful French wife, are initially the unwilling hosts to the criminals. Quickly, however, the relationships between the criminal, the wife, and the Englishman begin to shift in humorous and bizarre fashion.... (Full plot summary below)
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A wounded criminal and his dying partner take refuge at a beachfront castle. The owners of the castle, a meek Englishman and his willful French wife, are initially the unwilling hosts to the criminals. Quickly, however, the relationships between the criminal, the wife, and the Englishman begin to shift in humorous and bizarre fashion.
Leave your thoughts about Cul-de-sac.
| eye WEEKLYJason AndersonThe troubled dynamic of a castle-bound couple is further distorted by the arrival of a gangster who is marginally less vile than Carol's phantom. |
| Mountain Xpress (Asheville, NC)Ken HankeAt once bitterly funny and deeply disturbing. |
| EmpireKim NewmanShades of Pinter and Beckett are affectionately retouched with dark humour, dynamic wordplay and a tension all Kubrick's. |
| Parallax ViewSean Axmaker... as assured and as perfectly crafted as anything in Polanski's career, a miniature where every facet offers multiple reflections. |
| CinePassionFernando F. CrocePristine deep-focus absurdism jolted by wide-angle twitches, utter despair treated with something akin to jolliness |
| The A.V. ClubScott TobiasCul-de-sac functions better as an affectionate goof on Waiting For Godot, enhanced by an unforgettable setting that naturally severs the trio from contact with the outside world. |
| Chicago ReaderJonathan RosenbaumRoman Polanski's second British film is a mean little absurdist comedy set on a remote Northumberland island; it's also one of the best and purest of all his works. |
| Scene-Stealers.comEric MelinPolanski uses all kinds of off-kilter angles an close-ups and his actors are absolutely fearless. The pacing is a little off, as there are stretches where it gets a little long, but it upends convention at every turn and that s pretty thrilling. |
| VarietyVariety StaffAs a study in kinky insanity, Cul-de-Sac creates a tingling atmosphere. This sags riskily at times when the director unturns the screws and does not keep control of his frequently introduced comedy. |
| Slant MagazineJoseph Jon LanthierCul-de-Sac remains a searing reminder that Roman Polanski’s idiosyncratic grasp of the human mind was once evinced theatrically, rather than through narrative ferocity. |