It's a heartbreaking, troubling film about men whose lives were cruelly deprioritised and whose families remain ever altered as a result.

Benjamin Lee, Guardian

A competent, by-the-numbers action melodrama...

Keith Uhlich, The Hollywood Reporter

Mostly though, this is a solidly gripping and at times heartbreaking study of ordinary guys, out on the water trying to support their families, while knowing deep down... that any given voyage is likely to be their last.

Noel Murray, Los Angeles Times

This is a survival tale where we already know they don't survive; it's thoughtful, grim, and, considering we know the outcome, impressively tense.

Sarah Cartland, Caustion Spoilers

[T]his is a punchy and poignant piece of film-making from Vinterberg.

Ed Potton, Times (UK)

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Thomas Vinterberg, usually so good at stripping his characters down to their barest states, doesn't feel like a good fit for the material.

Philip De Semlyen, Time Out

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The claustrophobic brilliance of these scenes is undermined a little by the film's frequent journeys back to the surface, which though also effective, illustrates Kursk's main flaw - it doesn't always know what kind of film it wants to be.

Christopher Machell, CineVue

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The fine cast keeps us engaged, even if the film sometimes loses the narrative thread.

Bilge Ebiri, New York Times​

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