Richard Killiam’s review published on Letterboxd:
I really did not think this would hold up to a rewatch, because my memory of seeing it in the cinema was of an exceptionally communal, joyous positive response. I thought maybe it was the social influence of my group of friends--and, I think, the rest of the crowd, too--responding together with laughter and joy at wild provocation and the lively pace. The latter is confirmed--I was very impressed by how immediately Polanski captures us in a web of quick, witty dialogue and never lets go. There's no time to be bored by the artificiality of a 'huis clos'--there's so much to unpack in the dialogue and the blocking of the actors, the alternating tension and the clever structure of the script.
Presumably the original play this is based on was also entertaining, but Polanski gleefully applies his unique sensibility where it's a perfect fit. It doesn't even get too clever for its own good until the end, when the ambiguity is shed in favour of drama. But that comes with the territory when dealing with sex and unconscious human desires : the foreplay is always more exciting than what comes after.