97
Metascore
5 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 100Time OutTime OutEven this early in his career, Godard knew how to make audiences viscerally experience and contemplate things they might otherwise not have wanted to.
- 100Chicago Sun-TimesRoger EbertChicago Sun-TimesRoger EbertStarting with Le Petit Soldat, Godard was forging his own individualistic art and becoming the most relevant director of our time.
- 100Los Angeles TimesBetsy SharkeyLos Angeles TimesBetsy SharkeyBeyond the timelessness of the story itself, the film is beautifully shot and though early in Godard’s career already showcased his ability to capture emotional intensity in the very way he frames the shots.
- 90Village VoiceScott FoundasVillage VoiceScott FoundasIt’s a classic espionage plot shot through with a typically heady mix of art and literary references: Klee and Velázquez, Bach and Haydn, Bernanos and Musil.
- 88Slant MagazineSlant MagazineCompared to "Breathless," Le Petit Soldat's images suggest a stronger sense of place, as characters seem inextricably linked to their environment. Overall, the film lacks the artifice of Hollywood cinema, which Godard admired but was looking to move past after catching flack from the French left wing.