Criminal
A volatile convict carrying a dead CIA agent’s memories becomes the last chance to stop a hacker from triggering global catastrophe.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Brisk
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Easy to follow
- Violence
- Brutal
- violent
- propulsive
- paranoid
- action movie night
- late night thriller marathon
What critics said
Critics broadly regarded the film as formulaic and poorly executed, finding its familiar memory-transfer premise and action spectacle insufficiently supported by emotional drama.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Jerico Stewart receives CIA agent Bill Pope’s memories through an experimental procedure, creating the film’s central identity conflict.
The CIA transfers Pope’s memories into dangerous convict Jerico because his body is the available instrument for completing the mission.
The intelligence needed to locate the Dutchman survives through Pope’s memories and becomes the basis of an international counterterrorism operation.
The mission unfolds through London locations as Jerico, the CIA, and the Dutchman pursue one another around a threatened weapons deal.
Films like Criminal, and why
Self/less
shares body-transfer science fiction, identity conflict, violent action, and a high-stakes manhunt
The Bourne Identity
shares covert espionage, memory manipulation, chase-driven action, and conspiratorial science fiction
Face/Off
shares a criminal protagonist transformed into an unconventional operative through experimental technology and relentless action
Hardcore Henry
shares a brutal, kinetic action style with a protagonist navigating altered consciousness and criminal violence
Movie Details
- Director
- Ariel Vromen
- Release Date
- 2016-04-07
- Runtime
- 113 min
- Rating
- 6.2 / 10 (1945)
Cast
- Kevin Costner
- Gary Oldman
- Tommy Lee Jones
- Gal Gadot
- Alice Eve
- Ryan Reynolds
- Michael Pitt
- Jordi Mollà
- Antje Traue
- Scott Adkins
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- MovieSphere+ Amazon Channel, Howdy Amazon Channel
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Criminal about?
- A volatile convict carrying a dead CIA agent’s memories becomes the last chance to stop a hacker from triggering global catastrophe.
- What is Criminal like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Criminal as brisk, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as easy to follow.
- Is Criminal violent?
- Yes. Ember rates the violence in Criminal as brutal.
- What did critics think of Criminal?
- Critics broadly regarded the film as formulaic and poorly executed, finding its familiar memory-transfer premise and action spectacle insufficiently supported by emotional drama.
- Which films are like Criminal?
- Films with a similar feel include Self/less, The Bourne Identity, Face/Off, and Hardcore Henry.
- How long is Criminal?
- Criminal runs 113 minutes.
- Where can I watch Criminal?
- In United States, Criminal streams on MovieSphere+ Amazon Channel, Howdy Amazon Channel.
