Critics praised the film's unsentimental, spare, and unvarnished combat scenes and its raw, black-and-white cinematography. "Barnes & Noble" called it "poignant, yet spare and unsentimental". The novel shocked audiences with its frank and unsentimental portrayal of female sexuality and psychology. It is blunt, straightforward, and unsentimental. In the first two seasons Waverly is depicted as an unsentimental, tough, pragmatic leader. His subjects more universal and less nationalistic, more heroic by virtue of his unsentimental rendering. Smart's unsentimental paintings encompass lonely urban vistas that seem both disturbing and threatening. The old settlers, unsentimental, sometimes brutal, can show compassion. He accomplishes a portrait of native tribespeople that is acute and unsentimental. "High Fidelity" also commented on the song's "tender, passionate, and yet unsentimental" erotic imagery. It's a wise, unsentimental portrait of lonely people at the crossroads. But they both have a very unsentimental approach to human nature. Roger Ebert praised the film for its unsentimental approach to Chanel's early years. An "unsentimental, plain-speaking" tone is often associated with her contributions. "Bloomberg Businessweek" described the move by InBev as "unsentimental".