Review aggregatorMetacritic assigned the film a weighted average score of 85 out of 100, based on 14 critics, indicating "universal acclaim".[3]OnRotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 97% based on 58 reviews, with an average rating of 8.2/10. The site's critics consensus reads, "An urgent and timely biopic that's as sumptuous as it is searing, Red, White, and Blue is a triumph that gives the undeniably talented John Boyega the starring role he deserves."[4]
Critics praised the film for evoking a sense of urgency and anger. K. Austin Collins of Rolling Stone wrote that "The tense urgency we feel throughout this movie owes in great part to its structure, which, particularly in some of the argumentative family scenes, has a way of dredging up a thousand things at once, because any one rift risks giving everyone the excuse to lay bare all the despair and disagreement that'd been suppressed to that point."[5] Odie Henderson, reviewing the film for RogerEbert.com, wrote that it "is not a coddling film. It's an angry one, a tricky meditation that forces you to put yourself in the shoes of someone you might actually consider a traitor or a fool. Boyega, who is fantastic, wears the burden of Leroy's loneliness very well, and you feel his desire for an ally, a friend or, most notably, a running buddy who looks like him."[6]
John Boyega's lead performance received acclaim. Peter BradshawofThe Guardian wrote that Boyega "takes his career to the next level with a heroic and even tragic portrayal of Logan," and compared the performance to Al Pacino's in Serpico.[7] Kevin Maher of The Times called it Boyega's "most commanding" performance, commending his "simmering restraint, with wide-eyed naivety and with brief moments of fulminating rage."[8]
Writing for The Ringer, Justin Charity observed that the film "hinges on the classic contest within minority groups: assimilation versus subversion," and compared its complex portrayal of bigoted police officers favorably to the anthology series Lovecraft Country.[9]
The film appeared on several critics' top ten lists of best films from 2020.[10]
