58
Metascore
8 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 80Christian Science MonitorDavid SterrittChristian Science MonitorDavid SterrittIt's an imperfect movie, but a tantalizing and rewarding one.
- 60The New York TimesVincent CanbyThe New York TimesVincent CanbyThe Escape Artist represents a lot more talent than is ever demonstrated on the screen.
- 60The New YorkerPauline KaelThe New YorkerPauline KaelThere are lapses in the continuity, and the picture is pushed toward a ready-made, theatre-of-the-absurd melodrama--the kind of instant fantasy that filled One From the Heart.
- 50The Globe and Mail (Toronto)The Globe and Mail (Toronto)The Escape Artist looks as if it may be intended for children, but it's so fuzzy in detail and character that it fails in its premise as either adventure or fantasy. [29 May 1982]
- 50NewsweekDavid AnsenNewsweekDavid AnsenThe Escape Artist is chockablock with intriguing ingredients, none of which pays off. It's a true oddball, but as much as one would like to encourage iconoclasm in Hollywood, a movie this incoherent can only induce exasperation. [14 Jun 1982, p.88]
- 50TV Guide MagazineTV Guide MagazineA simple story is lost in the film's complex structure, and only when O'Neal and Julia are on screen together does this directorial debut of cinematographer Caleb Deschanel come to life.