Variety: Although in real life, United States troops haven’t fought on native soil since World War II, in the confused alternate reality of Dito Montiel’s “Man Down,” there’s an urgent battle raging at home today. For countless American veterans — and one scuzzy-faced ex-Marine played by Shia LaBeouf in particular — the armed conflicts they face abroad are nothing compared to what awaits them upon their return. With that in mind, Montiel reunites with LaBeouf (whose star has dramatically skyrocketed — and just as swiftly plummeted — since “Saints”) in this appallingly manipulative psychological thriller, which scolds audiences for not caring enough about our veterans, while counting on the well-meaning message to excuse this otherwise awful mess of a movie.
Las Vegas Weekly
Ten years ago, both writer-director Dito Montiel and actor Shia LaBeouf made major career moves with A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints, Montiel’s feature directing debut and one of LaBeouf’s first serious adult roles after a career as a child actor. Neither of them has lived up to the promise shown in Saints, and their reunion for the woefully misguided drama Man Down marks another misstep. LaBeouf plays Marine Gabriel Drummer, who leaves his wife and young son behind when he’s deployed to Afghanistan, where he’s involved in a traumatic incident of some sort. He returns home only to discover that things have gotten even worse, and his hometown (and possibly the entire country) appears to have devolved into a post-apocalyptic wasteland.
Detroit News
A Marine returns home after a trip to Afghanistan and desperately searches for his family in a post-apocalyptic wasteland in “Man Down,” a tricky little drama that doesn’t announce its intentions until a late-inning twist alters its playing field.
IGN
Man Down offers an interesting take on how traumatic events, war or otherwise, can affect how one is able to carry on with their life. What it is far less good at is convincing the audience that the journey is worth it. The shuffling between the separate time periods seems to occur not because it is essential to tell the story in that fashion, but because without telling the story in that fashion it would be a hollow tale that would fill far less time. One will leave the movie thinking about it and what Man Down means, but wondering why it couldn't have been better.
