the film is quieter and more sensitive than anything else Paul Schrader has directed, with Ethan Hawke giving one of his finest and most moving performances in the lead role
it's the best work in years for both men [Paul Schrader & Ethan Hawke], a fascinating meditation on inner turmoil in which doing the right thing can lead down many wrong directions
First Reformed is a deeply felt, deeply thought picture; impressive in its seriousness and often gripping in the way it frames itself as a debate and a sermon
easier to admire than to enjoy...There's not quite enough oomph or style in the filmmaking to make you forget about the schematic nature of the dramatic construct