[2] On Metacritic, another review aggregator which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 43 out of 100 based on 9 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews"[3] Kimber Myers from the Los Angeles Times said that "though there are some well-framed shots from cinematographer Mathieu Plainfossé, the script from Gerry De Leon and director Ty Roberts is lifeless, covered in a layer of dust that the cast can't rouse it from.

"[4] Jeannette Catsoulis writing for The New York Times stated: "Seemingly nostalgic for a period when West Texas roughnecks settled scores with baseball bats and laid pipe with pickaxes, this lovingly made homage to avarice feels strangely limp.

"[5] American film critic and historian Joe Leydon liked the movie and his review for Variety wrote: "Garrison strikes the perfect balance of cocksure swagger and not-so-quiet desperation while offering a credible and creditable portrayal of a man forever on the verge of plunging into the abyss because of the same instincts that initially fuel his ascent.

"[6] Glenn Kenny from the RogerEbert.com gave Beneath the Leaves only 1.5 out of 5 stars and stated: "As competently put together as this movie is, it imparted to me no sense of a higher calling, and thus left me unmoved.

"[7] Anthony Lane from The New Yorker magazine also disliked the film, stating that "the musical score is overcooked, the cast underpowered, and the dialogue something of a mishmash..."[8]