The movie is both a lesson and a diversion, a movie that seeks to educate by means of trickery and misdirection. It is thus best approached as a kind of cinematic shell game, in which the focus of the story keeps shifting and the full scope of the corruption on display remains just out of view.

Justin Chang

Los Angeles Times

Soderbergh and his top-notch cast (Sharon Stone shows up, as do Jeffrey Wright and Matthias Schoenaerts) keep things lively, playing out parables of betrayal and deception with pulpy, TV-movie flair.

A.O. Scott

The New York Times

Steven Soderbergh takes a macro approach to the scandal, though the results, with rare exception, are vexingly micro.

Keith Uhlich

Slant Magazine