Metacritic reviews

A savage comedy of sexual extremes; the barbed laughs draw blood.

Profane, sacrilegious, pornographic, sadistic and Sade-istic, titillating and the most honorable movie of the year.

Occasionally becomes pretentious and shrill -- sometimes Mr. Wright isn't aware that his material is so good that he doesn't need to comment on his characters.

Kaufman's earnestly overblown celebration of the Marquis de Sade.

The dialogue is sparkingly witty, and Phoenix and Winslet are excellent in what are, after all, meant to be fairly one-dimensional roles.

Rush is amazing throughout this absorbing, provocative film.

Rush is too sinfully good for the drama he's in.

Quills bleaches the danger -- and fascination -- out of De Sade, turning him into a kind of mad saint of ''Masterpiece Theatre'' porn.

Resembles a period version of "The Rocky Horror Picture Show" - played dead straight.

Soon becomes a sadistic experience in its own right. Experiencing this pretentious wallow -- overwritten, under-thought and overdone -- is a very sophisticated form of torture.