"Law versus morality is at the chilling heart of this potent film whose complex themes begin with a young man's first sexual encounter and traverse uncomfortable territory including that of harrowing war crimes. Director Stephen Daldry and screenwriter David Hare, who collaborated on The Hours, have adapted Bernhard Schlink's book with such impetus that the full weight of the shame, guilt and conscience the film carries descends on us, like an avalanche that drags us down, almost to the pits of despair. It is also a story about secrets. In this story that emanates from World War II, what, how and why things happen fascinate us, but it is their context and nuance that is critical. Like a gripping novel, The Reader takes hold of us and never lets go."  Urban Cinefile