'Closed Circuit' Review Roundup: British Spy Thriller Is Called 'Chilly' and 'Predictable'

"Close Circuit" will be released on Aug. 28.

The film, starring Eric Bana and Rebecca Hall, tells the story of a high-profile terrorism case that unexpectedly binds together two ex-lovers on the defense team - testing the limits of their loyalties and placing their lives in jeopardy.

The British film recently premiered to bad reviews. The Miami Herald's Connie Ogle disliked the movie and said, "'Closed Circuit' is the sort of movie that makes you wonder: Why was this made?"

Alfonso Duralde from The Wrap was also negative: "It's a story that means to shock us with a tale of wrongdoings and cover-ups at the highest levels, but in this post-Edward Snowden/Chelsea Manning era, does any government-sanctioned chicanery come as a real surprise anymore?"

Stephen Farber from the Hollywood Reporter complimented the acting, but said the overall film was lackluster. "Well-acted British courtroom drama never really delivers the necessary thrills," wrote Farber. 

Josh Hazelton from Screen International also disliked the movie: "You would expect a mostly British legal thriller to be somewhat reserved, but 'Closed Circuit,' while predictably classy and intelligently topical, is a little too chilly for its own good."

However, there were some good reviews. Jocelyn Noveck of the Associated Press gave the film three stars out of four and wrote, "A smart script by Steven Knight keeps the action humming along smoothly and concisely - if sometimes, it must be said, a bit illogically."

John Crowley directed the movie, which also stars Jim Broadbent, Julia Stiles, Riz Ahme and Anne-Marie Duff. Focus Features will release "Closed Circuit" in 862 theaters. Thed film is not yet rated.