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Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsFix Now →Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesFind Drivers →Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →The Journey is a 2016 political drama—not the separate video game Journey. Critics were divided: Metacritic displayed a 53/100 score, with praise for Timothy Spall and Colm Meaney’s performances alongside reservations about the dialogue-heavy script and the on-screen impact of the reconciliation story.
What is The Journey about?
Directed by Nick Hamm and written by Colin Bateman, the film imagines a rapprochement between Ian Paisley and Martin McGuinness, political adversaries in Northern Ireland. Its premise centers on an impromptu, detour-filled car ride through the Scottish countryside during negotiations in 2006. The private conversation is dramatic invention, not a documented transcript of what the men said.
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![Journeys in Black: The Arts [DVD]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/313DVah26HL._SL160_.jpg)
Timothy Spall plays Paisley, and Colm Meaney plays McGuinness. Metacritic lists a June 16, 2017 release date, a 94-minute runtime, and a PG-13 rating for the film. Metacritic’s film details attribute the synopsis to IFC Films; its credits page lists the director, screenwriter, and cast.
What is the Metacritic score?
As displayed by Metacritic and accessed October 8, 2026, The Journey has a 53/100 score from 21 critic reviews, classified as “Mixed or Average.” The displayed breakdown is 8 positive reviews (38%), 11 mixed (52%), and 2 negative (10%). These are Metacritic’s figures, not a universal measure of critical opinion, and aggregator scores can change.
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#1 Best Overall
![Voyage of Time: Life's Journey (2016) [ NON-USA FORMAT, PAL, Reg.2 Import - France ]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51GcREUGf9L._SL160_.jpg)
- Voyage of Time: Life's Journey (2016)
- Voyage of Time: Life's Journey (2016)
Metacritic’s critic-review page includes the excerpts and review dates discussed below.
What do critics praise and criticize?
Performances and the buddy-film dynamic
The most consistent strength in the displayed excerpts is the lively contrast between Spall and Meaney. Their performances give the political story an engaging two-hander quality, while the buddy-film structure makes the clash between former adversaries watchable. Owen Gleiberman wrote in Variety on June 13, 2017: “The Journey, thanks to its buddy-movie structure, is destined to feel a little corny, but the movie gets at something real. It’s a celebration, by two splendid actors, of the art of political theater.”
Dialogue and dramatic momentum
The same dialogue-centered approach divides opinion. Some excerpts find the exchanges and silences absorbing; others see the script as didactic or the stage-like format as limiting on screen. Marc Savlov wrote in The Austin Chronicle on July 5, 2017: “Spall and Meaney are mesmerizingly watchable in a film that’s 40% gruff dialogue and 60% seething silences.” Brad Wheeler, writing in The Globe and Mail on July 6, 2017, called it “dialogue-heavy, easily imaginable as a two-hander for the stage,” and found watching the enemies’ ice-thawing process less compelling on screen.
Political context and the reconciliation arc
The film uses a personal encounter to make political rapprochement accessible, but its imagined private conversation should not be taken as evidence of how negotiations actually unfolded. The excerpts suggest a difference between appreciating the idea of reconciliation and finding its dramatic development fully persuasive: some reviewers respond to the story’s underlying meaning, while others question how compelling the thaw feels as cinema. The displayed excerpts do not represent every reviewer’s view.
Rank #3
Is The Journey worth watching?
It is a reasonable choice if you enjoy performance-led political dramas, verbal sparring, and a compact two-character setup. Expect more conversation and character interplay than action, and approach the car-ride premise as a fictional device rather than historical documentation. If you want a fast-moving political thriller or a documentary account, the qualities highlighted by reviewers may make it a less suitable pick.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Which Journey do you mean?
Search results for “Journey” can refer to the separate video game Journey as well as Hamm’s film. The critic score and reviews here concern the 2016 film The Journey; they do not review or rate the game.
Quick Recap
Best Value
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