Then Pedro hears from his fiancé's father that in reality Trueba had provoked Sayago till he was forced to kill him to preserve his honor as a man.

[1] John DeFore on The Hollywood Reporter called the film "a gem of a vintage Mexican Western that feels its moral quandaries deeply".

[2] Robert Abele from Los Angeles Times wrote: "Shot in a crisp black-and-white that treasures bleak long shots as much as thrillingly nervous camera movement, "Time to Die" turns the showdown narrative of so many oaters into an actively intelligent, darkly funny and no less suspenseful rumination on the pull of the horizon versus the ill wind at the back.

"[3] Ben Sachs from Chicago Reader stated: "This was the first feature directed by Arturo Ripstein (Deep Crimson), and already he demonstrates a refined aesthetic sensibility in his use of curvilinear camera movements to chart the development of interpersonal relationships.

"[4] Alan Scherstuhl from The Village Voice wrote: "Spare and heartsick, Arturo Ripstein’s 1966 cycles-of-violence western parable Time to Die finds nothing romantic in showdowns and shootouts.