Beasts of No Nation | Rotten Tomatoes

Beasts of No Nation

Released Oct 16, 2015

2 hr. 16 min.

War

Drama

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for Beasts of No Nation: Trailer 2

List

91%

150 Reviews

Tomatometer

92%

5,000+ Ratings

Audience Score

As civil war rages in Africa, a fierce warlord (Idris Elba) trains a young orphan (Abraham Attah) to join his group of guerrilla soldiers.

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Netflix

Watch Beasts of No Nation with a subscription on Netflix.

Critics Consensus

Beasts of No Nation finds writer-director Cary Fukunaga working with a talented cast to offer a sobering, uncompromising, yet still somehow hopeful picture of war's human cost.

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Dave C

A stark, sobering, sombre tale of manipulation, brainwashing, abuse, and corruption, all in pursuit of a misunderstood, genocidal lust for power. The subsequent crippling of generations is given little thought, and is shown here brilliantly on the shoulders of a young cast, supported by a strong performance from IE. It masterfully brings together some of the darkest elements of humanity, whilst showing what strength of spirit and resolve can help us survive and overcome. Hope is often an undervalued concept, but it's one with life-changing power even in the most maniacal, empty, violent of places

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

04/11/24

Full Review

Everardo C

No es una película de acción, sino una historia realista de salvajismo incrustado en la inocencia antes de que tengan la oportunidad de ser niños deben de tomarlas en el campo de batalla

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

02/05/24

Full Review

Christopher M

One of the most well-made, difficult to watch movies of all time, it is a travesty that Idris Elba was not even nominated for an Academy Award. Simultaneously harrowing and gripping, Cari Fukunaga has secured himself a position amongst the best directors of the modern era.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

01/06/24

Full Review

Alec C

Innocence is the first thing you lose when you experience the horrors of war, especially when you're a child! We see the inhumanity of it through the eyes of Agu, a war orphan who loses everything and is consumed by the barbarity of a civil war under the tutelage of an oppressive commander. We see as it chips away at his humanity until there is only a hollow shell of a person yearning for peace!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

12/26/23

Full Review

Sergio R

Wild story, that happen in Africa in real life. I recommend that film.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

11/06/23

Full Review

Mark K

An outstanding film featuring a remarkable storyline. Filming and assembling such a movie is a daunting task, but they executed it in a remarkable and impressive manner. I strongly recommend this film; you won't be disappointed!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

10/12/23

Full Review

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Cary Joji Fukunaga

Director

Idris Elba

Commandant

Abraham Attah

Agu

Opeyemi Fagbohungbe

Sergeant Gaz

Kurt Egyiawan

2nd I-C

Cary Joji Fukunaga

Screenwriter

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Beasts of No Nation: Movie Clip - Victory

1:12

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57%

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Hyena Road

TRAILER

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77%

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Johnny Mad Dog

94%

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War Witch

47%

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A War

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Beasts of No Nation: Featurette - Cary Fukunaga

2:48

Beasts of No Nation: Featurette - Story

3:50

Beasts of No Nation: Featurette - Idris Elba & The Commandant

2:57

Beasts of No Nation: Trailer 2

2:07

Beasts of No Nation: Teaser Trailer 1

1:37

Beasts of No Nation: Featurette - The Child Soldier

3:01

Beasts of No Nation: Trailer 1

2:13

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Jason Bailey

Flavorwire

It wants to immerse itself entirely in Agu's experience, yet the filmmaker can't resist standing aloft in scenes that underscore the soldiers' ages and their actions, and pointing out easy ironies.

May 3, 2016

Full Review

Alison Willmore

BuzzFeed News

Fukunaga gives the film a visual grandeur that makes it feel like it's taking place after the world has ended, and all that's left for Agu is this morass of endless, uncaring violence.

Nov 10, 2015

Full Review

David Edelstein

New York Magazine/Vulture

Fukunaga's hurtling camera and taut cutting keep Beasts of No Nation only just this side of hallucinatory, and Elba is the kind of titanic actor to kick it to a near-mythic level.

Oct 16, 2015

Full Review

Jordan Brooks

Vague Visages

Absolutely devastating in its blunt portrayal of African civil wars, Beasts of No Nation packs so burdensome an emotional punch that I was left in stunned detachment, unable to cope with much of what I was experiencing.

Aug 1, 2023

Full Review

Brian Susbielles

InSession Film

It isn’t an action movie, but a realist story of savagery embedded in innocence before they have the chance to be a child rather than make decisions on the battlefield.

Feb 28, 2023

Full Review

Keith Garlington

Keith & the Movies

If there is one thing that profoundly comes across in Cary Fukunaga’s searing war drama it is that war has a cost – an intense human cost.

Rated: 4.5/5

Aug 19, 2022

Full Review

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Synopsis

As civil war rages in Africa, a fierce warlord (Idris Elba) trains a young orphan (Abraham Attah) to join his group of guerrilla soldiers.

Director: Cary Joji Fukunaga
Screenwriter: Cary Joji Fukunaga
Distributor: Netflix, Bleecker Street Media
Genre: War, Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Oct 16, 2015, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Feb 6, 2017
Box Office (Gross USA): $83.9K

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