pˈiːɾɚ ʃdʒˈɛldɑːl, ˈɔːlsoʊ ɹˈaɪɾɪŋ fɚðə nˈuː jˈɔːɹk tˈaɪmz, dᵻskɹˈaɪbd ðə fˈɪlm fˈeɪvɚɹəbli æz ˈeɪ "lˈoʊ bˈʌdʒɪt, ʌnpɹɪtˈɛnʃəs, ɛkstɹˌoːɹdɪnˈɛɹᵻli bɹˈuːɾəl lˈɪɾəl mˈuːvi ɐbˌaʊt ðə pæθˈɑːlədʒi ʌv sˈɛnsləs mˈɜːdɚ.
Peter Schjeldahl, also writing for The New York Times, described the film favorably as a "low budget, unpretentious, extraordinarily brutal little movie about the pathology of 'senseless' murder.