The urbane activity with which a man receives money is really marvellous, considering that we so earnestly believe money to be the root of all earthly ills, and that on no account can a monied man enter heaven.

Dave Calhoun reviewed the film for "Time Out London": "Ceylan is a sly and daring screen artist of the highest order and should draw wild praise with this new film for challenging both himself and us, the audience, with this lengthy, rigorous and masterly portrait of a night and day in the life of a murder investigation[.]" Calhoun compared the film to the director's previous works and noted how it to a lesser extent follows genre conventions: "Displaying a new interest in words and story (albeit of the most elusive kind), "Once Upon A Time in Anatolia" feels like a change of direction for Ceylan and may disappoint those who were especially attracted to the urbane melancholia of "Uzak" and "Climates".

The show was a sophisticated blend of hospital drama, family life and urbane humor.