You Were Never Really Here

R

Released Apr 6, 2018

1 hr. 30 min.

Mystery & Thriller

Drama

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List

89%

287 Reviews

Tomatometer

64%

5,000+ Ratings

Audience Score

A contract killer uncovers a conspiracy while trying to save a kidnapped teen from a life of prostitution.

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Premiered Jan 17

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Critics Consensus

Bracingly elevated by a typically committed lead performance from Joaquin Phoenix, You Were Never Really Here confirms writer-director Lynne Ramsay as one of modern cinema's most unique -- and uncompromising -- voices.

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The Great John A

You Were Never Really Here was a 2018 thriller directed by Lynne Ramsey (We Need To Talk About Kevin) and starring Joaquin Phoenix as a contract killer who goes on a mission to find a missing girl, but slowly loses his sanity in doing so. I thought the film was not necessarily about the girl, but a character study of a man succumbing to his manipulative consciousness that he inherited when he was a boy. Then as the film progresses in it's short 90 min time, he gradually becomes even more unstable to the point of collapse towards the end. Very well acted, decent intensity build-up and a plot that, while familiar, brings a bit more about the actual character development rather than other brilliant films like it which makes it different. Overall, while not for everyone, You Were Never Really Here makes do of what it has with it's disturbing, but tense viewing with believable acting that differentiates itself from others. Grade: A+

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

04/26/24

Full Review

Divinity E

I just finished watching “You were never really there” in Virtual Reality Bigscreen. My friend with the username 2Fat2Furious hosted the movie. My username is Divinity1111. We have the Meta Quest3 headsets. It’s 19th April 2024. I really enjoyed the movie and gave it a 7 out of 10. 2fat2furious gave it a 4/10. The lead actor Joaquin played the role superbly. I liked the imagery, angles and way the scenes were presented. I was entertained the whole way through. I never once lost interest in it. If you liked “The Joker” you should like this too. Both focus on mental illness. I would be willing to watch it again. There were a number of other patrons in our VR Bigscreen movie room watching this with us. Many of them stayed until the end of the movie.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

04/19/24

Full Review

Audience Member

Joaquin Phoenix makes an incredible comeback after being out of the spotlight for so long Think of it like a modern version of 'Taxi Driver' Director Lynne Ramsay helms a vigilante story about two abused and tortured souls A man named Joe has lead a traumatized life Being a mercenary he's hired by a politician to save his daughter from sex traffickers kidnapping underage girls Joe is allowed to use any means necessary to bring these victims home He's also looking after his elderly mother Flashbacks reveal his brutal childhood taking abuse from his father and while he worked for the FBI and the military But later Joe discovers the corruption hidden behind the people running everything This is the story of a man feeling all used up and reaches his breaking point to give up Yet maybe he can actually save someone as well as himself This is extremely violent but stylish Phoenix gives a surefire performance that lands him back on top perfectly blending physical and psychological pain Even a lost soul can be found again, blood dries and bruises fade but the emotional toll will always remain, the violence of the human condition can hurt way more, do we go on or just end things immediately? This truly feels like a throwback to crime noir movies of the 1970s with a deeper underlying of purpose and the process of healing Phoenix is spectacular here thanks to Ramsay's carefully crafted directing

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

04/06/24

Full Review

BarÄ±Å Ä

This movie tries super hard to have some meaning but fails miserably in the end. The only thing that might have conveyed some slight meaning is at the very end and no, I'm not talking about Joaquin Phoenix metaphorically shooting himself.

Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars

04/05/24

Full Review

Richard G

Not exactly sure what the writers wanted from this movie but I frequently thought about exiting the film cuz it was so slow. After watching it, I know no more than what the preview description initially said. IMO, not one of Phoenix's better films.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

04/03/24

Full Review

joe m

so ass i'd rather watch my grandparents fuck

Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars

02/27/24

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Lynne Ramsay

Director

Joaquin Phoenix

Joe

Ekaterina Samsonov

Nina

Alessandro Nivola

Senator Williams

Alex Manette

Senator Votto

John Doman

John McCleary

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You Were Never Really Here: International Trailer 1

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Leslie Felperin

Hollywood Reporter

[T]his intoxicatingly stylish work is all over the place, a hot mess at times so ravishing it sends shivers down to the toes. Unfortunately, it's also at times just plain crass and silly.

Dec 26, 2018

Full Review

Chris Nashawaty

Entertainment Weekly

In the end, there's no question that what you're watching is a masterfully-made movie, albeit one that's easier to admire from afar than up close.

Rated: B-

Dec 26, 2018

Full Review

Emily St. James

Vox

It's the kind of movie I'm glad [Ramsay] made because her interrogation of Joe's masculinity is the sort of thing endemic to the material that many male directors might have missed in an attempt to make the movie more "exciting."

Rated: 4/5

Dec 26, 2018

Full Review

Keith Garlington

Keith & the Movies

It was my second viewing that I was able to fall in with the film’s unique rhythms.

Rated: 4.5/5

Aug 20, 2022

Full Review

Brian Eggert

Deep Focus Review

Ramsay made You Were Never Really Here somehow both economical and impressionistic, uncanny and sympathetic, savage and heartening.

Rated: 4/4

Mar 14, 2022

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Grant Watson

Fiction Machine

This film is cinema stripped back beyond the bone.

Rated: 10/10

Mar 12, 2022

Full Review

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Synopsis

A contract killer uncovers a conspiracy while trying to save a kidnapped teen from a life of prostitution.

Director: Lynne Ramsay
Executive Producer: Jacques Audiard, Sue Bruce Smith, Lizzie Francke, Rose Garnett
Screenwriter: Lynne Ramsay, Jonathan Ames
Distributor: Amazon Studios
Production Co: JW Films, Amazon Studios, Why Not Productions, British Film Institute, Film4, Sixteen Films
Rating: R (Disturbing and Grisly Images|Brief Nudity|Language|Strong Violence)
Genre: Mystery & Thriller, Drama
Original Language: English (United Kingdom)
Release Date (Theaters): Apr 6, 2018, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Jul 3, 2018
Box Office (Gross USA): $2.5M
Sound Mix: Dolby Digital
Aspect Ratio: Digital 2.39:1

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