Release: Citizen

 

Citizen
Genre: Drama/Thriller
Director: Danny Boyle
Writer: Rachel Hallett Hardcastle
Cast: Timothee Chalamet, Jack Quaid, Owen Teague, Kurt Russell, Jessica Brown Findlay, Thomas Haden Church, Michael Pitt, Colin Ford, Chris Cooper, Millicent Simmonds, Michael Kelly, Adam Brody




Budget: $46,000,000
Domestic Box Office: $39,584,345
Foreign Box Office: $21,450,004
Total Profit: -$20,031,883

Reaction: This one looked pretty solid on paper. Looking for reasons for it flopping, a few things come to mind: Timothee Chalamet's spotty box office track record, a relatively high budget due to the expensive supporting cast, and the historically soft box office gross for films in the Drama/Thriller genre combo.

"Citizen is an obvious attempt to try something new and more grown up for star Timothee Chalamet. The problem is that he is not believable for a single moment in the film as a hardened criminal. Some of the supporting roles are pretty poorly cast as well with Jack Quaid equally unbelievable as the sheriff. As for the story itself, it was alright. It meanders a bit here and there, but it mostly well-plotted. That said, even a great story (this one is good, not great) can't go very far with unbelievable characters." - Katie Barnes, Washington Herald

"I truly am unsure about this film, and frankly all of Rachel Hallett Hardcastle’s. They have so much potential but it seems that all their scripts need one final go-over. This along with last season’s Final End was unfocused and messy. The acting and story is fine, nothing too special though. Not Danny Boyle’s worst LRF film but still leaves a lot to be desired." - Jonah Wells, IndieWire

"The actual story of Citizen is pretty good, but the script by Rachel Hallett Hardcastle is completely crippled by poor behind the scenes decisions. The cast and crew are full of talented people, but many of them are simply the wrong choices for their role/position. Director Danny Boyle is obviously a great director, but he's a poor fit for this slower paced material. Timothee Chalamet comes off worse though. The role of Slim doesn't utilize any of Chalamet's strengths as a performer, constantly forcing him to work against his skillset. With a different cast and crew, my review would probably be quite different. It's a shame that this film will not be remembered for its quality writing, but rather for its poor casting decisions." - Dave Manning, Ridgefield Press

Rated R for strong violence, language, sexual content and nudity