Criminal

Play trailer

1:00

Criminal

R

2016

1h 53m

Action

Mystery & Thriller

Sci-Fi

Play Trailer

Watchlist

Watchlist

Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

30%

Tomatometer

136 Reviews

47%

Popcornmeter

10,000+ Ratings

CIA agent Bill Pope (Ryan Reynolds) dies while traveling to a secret location to meet a hacker who can launch missiles at will. Desperate to find his whereabouts, officials turn to an experimental neurosurgeon who can transfer memories from one brain to another. The guinea pig for the procedure is Jerico Stewart (Kevin Costner), a violent and dangerous death-row inmate. Now gifted with Pope's skills and knowledge, Stewart must race against time to stop a sinister international conspiracy.

Watch on Fandango at Home

Stream Now

Critics Consensus

Despite the valiant efforts of a game and talented cast, Criminal has little to offer beyond the bare minimum expected by the most undemanding of genre enthusiasts.

Read Critics Reviews

Sara Michelle Fetters

MovieFreak.com

As a movie, there's plenty here to respect. As entertainment, however, this is tough one to enjoy, all of which makes Criminal a vexing spectacle that's hard to watch all the way through to its end.

Rated: 2/4

Aug 11, 2016

Full Review

Paul Byrnes

Sydney Morning Herald

It's lazy, corrupt and sleazy filmmaking, the kind of film that's killing the business.

Rated: 2/5

May 18, 2016

Full Review

John Nugent

Empire Magazine

We can but pray that scientists invent a procedure to remove the memory of ever watching this film in the first place.

Rated: 1/5

May 11, 2016

Full Review

Matt Brunson

Film Frenzy

For a movie that hinges on a soulless man developing feelings, Criminal is noticeably lacking any of its own.

Rated: 1.5/4

Nov 6, 2025

Full Review

Colin Biggs

Vague Visages

Regretfully, Criminal makes up for its lack of ideas with blood, guts and even more blood.

Dec 1, 2023

Full Review

Brian Eggert

Deep Focus Review

A dull, yet star-studded production that feels like a 1990s action movie throwback - complete with over-the-top villains, ruthless violence, and an absurd premise.

Rated: 1.5/4

Apr 15, 2022

Full Review

Read all reviews

Jesse H

Great movie with top notch cast!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

11/27/25

Full Review

Peter P

Kevin Kostner is great in this movie. I was quite surprised. It's way better than it's total rating in my eyes, but I get people have different tastes 4 stars recommended

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

11/23/25

Full Review

David K

Gals accent ruins the film

Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars

11/14/25

Full Review

Jonathan K

I liked it! I don't think it's as bad as everyone says. Kevin Costner might not have been the best choice for the role -- he's a little flat, but I think the character is kind of complex to pull off because the depth is mostly internal -- but I warmed up to it. Ryan Reynolds has a small, ancillary role, but it works, especially as the romantic opposite of Gal Gadot and the soul of Costner's character's awakening. It's pretty action-packed and violent, and for a lot of it, I really didn’t know what was going to happen and felt like "what is this". Part of the disorientation is that they were definitely not afraid to kill off characters who, in most movies, would survive. It adds to the unexpected thriller nature. But I'll admit it was hard to buy into the lead character's mental state at first, which maybe is where a lot of the complaints or disconnect arise from, but eventually it settles in. If you can accept the sci-fi pseudoscience angle, it makes for a pretty enjoyable thriller.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

09/28/25

Full Review

Stephanie T

I don't care what anyone says about this movie. I liked it, I enjoyed it and the story was different and touching for a suspense thriller. If you look what their making now in 2025 you would be appreciative for this movie.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

08/24/25

Full Review

Madam D

Sci fi is one of my favorite genres & this one didn't do badly at all. The acting is well done, esp watching Costner's character develop a heart.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

06/15/25

Full Review

Read all reviews

Read More

Read Less

POST RATING

WRITE A REVIEW

EDIT REVIEW

Ariel Vromen

Director

Kevin Costner

Jerico Stewart

Gal Gadot

Jill Pope

Gary Oldman

Quaker Wells

Ryan Reynolds

Bill Pope

Tommy Lee Jones

Dr. Franks

Lucy

67%

47%

Lucy

Watchlist

Bleeding Steel

24%

25%

Bleeding Steel

Watchlist

The Humanity Bureau

22%

23%

The Humanity Bureau

Watchlist

TRAILER

for The Humanity Bureau

Chappie

32%

56%

Chappie

Watchlist

Repo Men

22%

42%

Repo Men

Watchlist

Discover more movies and TV shows.

View More

Criminal: Trailer 2

1:00

Criminal: Trailer 1

2:19

View more videos

View more photos

Synopsis

CIA agent Bill Pope (Ryan Reynolds) dies while traveling to a secret location to meet a hacker who can launch missiles at will. Desperate to find his whereabouts, officials turn to an experimental neurosurgeon who can transfer memories from one brain to another. The guinea pig for the procedure is Jerico Stewart (Kevin Costner), a violent and dangerous death-row inmate. Now gifted with Pope's skills and knowledge, Stewart must race against time to stop a sinister international conspiracy.

Director: Ariel Vromen
Producer: J.C. Spink, Jake Weiner, Matthew O'Toole, Mark Gill, Christa Campbell, Denis Chobanov
Screenwriter: Douglas Cook, David Weisberg
Distributor: Lionsgate Films
Production Co: Benderspink, Campbell Grobman Films, Summit Entertainment
Rating: R (Strong Violence|Language Throughout)
Genre: Action, Mystery & Thriller, Sci-Fi
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Apr 15, 2016, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Jul 12, 2016
Box Office (Gross USA): $14.7M
Runtime: 1h 53m
Aspect Ratio: Scope (2.35:1)

Most Popular at Home Now