36
Metascore
4 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 50Movie NationRoger MooreMovie NationRoger MooreGooding makes his directing debut with Bayou Caviar, a slow moving thriller as complex as Great Granny’s Jambalaya recipe. And in spite of that pacing, some stereotypical casting and a need to contort and drag out the finale, it makes for messy movie-watching fun.
- 50The New York TimesBen KenigsbergThe New York TimesBen KenigsbergLike a boxer who doesn’t know when to quit, Bayou Caviar goes on a bit long, then rallies — in this case with an agreeably cynical closing image.
- 40Los Angeles TimesNoel MurrayLos Angeles TimesNoel MurrayThis picture tries to encompass many ideas: about loyalty, the lust for fame and the slippery slope of immoral behavior. All of that is in the film. It just hasn’t been put in any particular order.
- 20New Orleans Times-PicayuneMike ScottNew Orleans Times-PicayuneMike ScottGritty to the point of sleazy, the noir-tinged Bayou Caviar shows flashes of visual flair, and Gooding -- who wrote the screenplay in addition to directing and starring -- demonstrates he’s still got the sort of screen presence and million-dollar smile that made him a star some 27 years ago. Beyond that, however, Bayou Caviar is a thoroughly nasty and messily plotted affair, a straight-to-VOD crime drama that slips and slides around in its own ooze for at least 20 minutes too long.