 Critical reaction to The Man from London generally praised its formalist aesthetic and painstakingly composed scenes , while criticizing its slow pace and lack of a compelling plot . Most argued the film fell short of Tarr 's previous efforts . Variety 's Derek Elley rated the film on a par with his Damnation ( 1988 ) but as inferior to <unk> ( 1994 ) and <unk> Harmonies ( 2000 ) , remarking it was improbable that The Man From London would put an end to the polarization of Tarr 's audiences into those who hail him as a director of " visionary genius " and those for whom he is a " crashing bore " . Martin Tsai of The New York Sun allowed that Tarr " makes it easy for viewers to get lost in his beautifully bleak world and lose track of time " but complained that in comparison with its predecessors , the film 's central theme of guilt seemed insubstantial and the film itself felt " slight and incomplete " . 
