Lonely Hearts

R

2006

1h 47m

Crime

Drama

Mystery & Thriller

List

48%

42 Reviews

Tomatometer

49%

5,000+ Ratings

Audience Score

Det. Elmer Robinson (John Travolta), still grieving the loss of his suicidal wife, pursues two notorious murderers in 1940s New York. Martha Beck (Salma Hayek) and Ray Fernandez (Jared Leto), known as the Lonely Hearts Killers, prey on spinsters and war widows, leaving a trail of corpses in their wake.

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Critics Consensus

Several genres and plotlines intertwine in Lonely Hearts but don't connect, creating an uneven and unsatisfying film.

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nick s

Sets and costumes were great, but the movie wasn't. I found the directing style difficult to watch with those rapid fire camera shots, even in calm scenes. Also there was no sense of mystery or intrigue to the story... it was all on the nose. Though I may have missed something because I got bored and skipped ahead.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

01/05/24

Full Review

David x

What a mess. Some dynamite supporting performances and an immaculate cast, but wow, the attempt to weave storylines together failed miserably into incoherence, and while there are moments of brilliance (from the cast), it's so poorly directed that they never come together as a story. Case in point- Scott Caan is not a great actor, but neither is he a poor one. His character, though, is a cartoon, and I'm sure he did the best he could with it. Come on, young cop mocking a superior officer by cracking wise about his wife's suicide? WTF, seriously? I found this on a list of movies you may have missed kind of article, and I wish I'd kept it that way. Film is a director's medium, and this guy wasted everybody's time and talent.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

08/31/23

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valarie b

Type of Bonnie & Clyde taking advantage of lonely hearts.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

03/30/23

Full Review

Audience Member

A little disjointed. A little overwrought. A little waste of time.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

02/04/23

Full Review

Audience Member

A very schizophrenic film. The scenes with Travolta and Gandolfini are solid, and well paced with quality dialogue. The scenes with Hayek and Leto are shallow and slow, with nothing inciteful in their dialogue to explain their actions or motivations. While the story surrounding the crimes and the chase are interesting, the story regarding the suicidal wife and the relationship with the son seem superficial without much emotional grip.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

01/24/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Well, it's like this. Gandolfini had a better script than Travolta. Gandolfini did a lighter version of his mafia capo thing but made it into a cop. John T was there, but he kind of phoned this one in. He was doing the dour disappointed guy routine, but it lacked the real emotion he should carry. I like Leto as an actor just a little bit, not much more than a minor role amount. Salma Hayek in the movie was convincing insane because I used to date a girl like her. Laura Dern had a passable performance. I like Scott Caan a lot because he's not a leading man, he's walking in his father's giant footsteps, and Scott really tries his best to be good at his craft even though he seems to be almost the same actor in everything. Many of the camera angles on period settings were very good, and kudos to the lighting people. They did great. I like movies that don't move at Transformer speed, have a slower pace, and sometimes try your patience. This one did that. The team of Gandolfini and Travolta moved steadily towards their mark throughout the film. I never lost sight of the target, and for me, the film stayed on point. If you want a period cop movie with some black and white and 1940s this one is okay to spend your time with.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

01/12/23

Full Review

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Todd Robinson

Director

John Travolta

Elmer C. Robinson

James Gandolfini

Charles Hildebrandt

Salma Hayek

Martha Beck

Jared Leto

Raymond Fernandez

Laura Dern

Renée Fodie

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88 Minutes

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Critical Consensus: "Hoax" Shines; Force Is With "ATHF"; "Disturbia" Mixed; "Pathfinder," "Stranger" Not Perfect; "Redline," Slow Burn" Not Screened

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Richard Roeper

Ebert & Roeper

There is some strong work here, but too many misfires.

Apr 23, 2007

Full Review

David Denby

New Yorker

The story of Fernandez and Beck may be grotesque comedy, but Todd Robinson tells it straight, without flinching from its piteousness, horror, or banality.

Apr 16, 2007

Full Review

David Fear

Time Out

Where's James Ellroy when you need him?

Rated: 2/6

Apr 14, 2007

Full Review

Debbie Lynn Elias

Behind The Lens

A valiant effort filled with technical and design excellence, overall, as a film Lonely Hearts is emptier and more alone than the victims of Beck and Fernandez.

Nov 14, 2019

Full Review

Dennis Schwartz

Dennis Schwartz Movie Reviews

This is the version that's easily forgettable.

Rated: C+

Jul 18, 2009

Full Review

Heather Huntington

ReelzChannel.com

Leto's layered performance as the nattily dressing dandy with no remorse is truly impressive.

Rated: 7/10

Aug 25, 2008

Full Review

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Synopsis

Det. Elmer Robinson (John Travolta), still grieving the loss of his suicidal wife, pursues two notorious murderers in 1940s New York. Martha Beck (Salma Hayek) and Ray Fernandez (Jared Leto), known as the Lonely Hearts Killers, prey on spinsters and war widows, leaving a trail of corpses in their wake.

Director: Todd Robinson
Producer: Danny Dimbort
Screenwriter: Todd Robinson
Production Co: Emmett/Furla Films
Rating: R (Nudity|Language|Sexual Content|Strong Violence)
Genre: Crime, Drama, Mystery & Thriller
Original Language: English
Rerelease Date (Theaters): Apr 13, 2007
Release Date (Streaming): Apr 16, 2012
Box Office (Gross USA): $187.4K
Runtime: 1h 47m

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