Starred Up (2013) Reviews

• Brutal and Brilliant

  tyse12014-03-21

  For a film that seemed to come out of nowhere, with a limited advertisement campaign and small budget, Starred Up has proved to be one of the more ballsy pictures released in some time - and with a UK release date sandwiched between two major blockbuster sequels, it had to do something to stand out from the crowd. The main attribute of the film is its acting, most notably central character Jack O'Connell; a career-best performance from our lead protagonist serves as the driving force of the film, immersing the audience so much in the drama of it all that we can't believe we're feeling sorry for the prick we thought we knew in the opening stages. However we all know that good acting doesn't necessarily constitute a good film; but placing such talent in the hands of David Mackenzie and providing a gripping (albeit unoriginal) story line is a damn good combination. Despite the many positives, where this film fails is in the variety of on-screen shenanigans. Although it does slowly progress, the day-to-day life on the inside seems repetitive and predictable, particularly when the overall message is all too familiar and practically clichéd. All in all however, Starred Up is one of the best prison dramas in a long time, and probably the best British film this year. Not for the faint-hearted, this superbly acted drama will scare you into following the law to the strictest command.

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• Hard-hitting...and then some!

  Leofwine_draca2016-04-23

  STARRED UP is another modern-day prison flick, this time a British one. Before everybody starts groaning and thinking "what, again?!", let me reassure you that this one's not sugar-coated at all. There's no sentiment here, just brutality throughout, and yet it becomes an immersive and thought-provoking experience. Even with all the violence and bad language and animalistic behaviour, there is still light at the end of the tunnel. The film features Jack O'Connell ('71) in a star-making performance as a disturbed young man who has just been transferred (aka starred up) to men's prison from juvenile. To complicate things further, his own father is an inmate, and the two have a volatile relationship. I've seen the Australian actor Ben Mendelsohn before in a few Hollywood flicks and didn't think much of him, but he's a perfect fit for the part here. A lot of the usual prison clichés are played out here, but they happen in a matter-of-fact and dare I say it grimly realistic way. The violence is brutal but not overdone, and it does serve a purpose rather than being gratuitous. And the realism is top-notch, reminding me of the BRONSON film at times. Despite all this writer Jonathan Asser manages to tell a believable storyline with an identifiable beginning, middle, and end. It's a good little film, although not for all tastes given the subject matter.

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• The best UK film of 2014

  estebangonzalez102015-01-10

  "Starred Up means you're leader." Starred Up is unquestionably the best UK film of the year. It's no surprise because the best prison dramas that have come out over recent years come from Europe (think Bronson, Hunger, and A Prophet). What surprised me the most about Starred Up is that the humanity of these prisoners is never lost. These are guys who do questionable things and constantly have anger issues, but somehow as an audience we are still drawn to them and care for them. It isn't something easy to achieve but thanks to David Mackenzie's solid direction and Jonathan Asser's brilliant and realistic script we get an authentic prison drama with characters we can engage with and are worth investing in. Asser actually based the script on his personal experience when he worked as a voluntary therapist at a prison. It really comes through in the script because you have a sense that he sees these prisoners as actual human beings and not just stereotypical prisoners which we sometimes get from movies. He raises some important issues that most prison movies fail to do so and which concern him. There are two ways we can view prisons: as a place where we can set apart the criminals and keep them away from society or as a place where we send these criminals to be rehabilitated. He firmly believes in the second cause and that is why he includes a voluntary therapist in this film that is trying to rehabilitate some of these prisoners. These are issues that aren't usually raised in films of this genre, but through this authentic portrayal of life behind bars we get a sense of it. That is why Asser is so concerned with humanizing the main character, Eric Love, played brilliantly by Jack O'Connell (Unbroken), who has just been sent to prison after spending years in juvenile institutions for his violent behavior. He's sent to the same prison where his father (played by Ben Mendelsohn) has been spending most of his life. Their hurtful relationship gives us a glimpse of why Eric behaves the way he does and it is ultimately what engages the audience with his character. However my favorite aspect of the film is the relationship he shares with the therapist (Rupert Friend) who is trying to help with his violent nature. The film is gritty and it also has a lot going on with the rest of the prisoners and guards as well. As opposed to what we feel for the prisoners, the guards don't really view their humanity. Starred Up succeeds as an authentic portrayal inside a prison. This is only the second time I have seen a film directed by David Mackenzie and he is back on my radar now. I had seen Spread, starring Ashton Kutcher, and I really disliked that movie. This film felt like it was directed by a completely different person. A lot of the credit has to be given to the screenwriter for writing such a compelling prison drama with scenes that you are completely invested in and have you at the edge of your seat. But of course one can't leave out the brilliant performance from Jack O'Connell who delivers one of the most memorable prisoner characters I've seen. His physical performance is just inspiring. There are a number of secondary characters that will also be remembered. Ben Mendelsohn as Eric's father is great and so is Friend as the therapist. I enjoyed many of the interactions Eric had with them and with some of his inmates. There are several things going on as we sort of get a slice of life of these prisoners life. I may have been describing this film mostly as a drama, but believe me there are several moments of incredible tension and gritty violence. It balances these themes very well and makes for a compelling watch.

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• A generally fine effort that brings the brutal world of Brit prisons into the 21st century

  davideo-22014-03-26

  STAR RATING: ***** Saturday Night **** Friday Night *** Friday Morning ** Sunday Night * Monday Morning Eric Love (Jack O'Connoll) is a couple of years younger than necessary to be transferred from a young offender's institution to an adult prison, but due to his explosively violent nature, a rare exception has been made. He seems under control, until he is disturbed while sleeping by another inmate and ferociously over-reacts. After trying and failing to talk his way out of the situation, his inflamed, anti-authoritarian streak bursts to life and he proves tricky for Governor Hayes (Sam Spruell) and his staff to deal with. From here, he encounters two people who may be the key to turning him round: dedicated social worker Oliver (Rupert Friend) and Neville (Ben Mendolsohn) the equally violent head of the wing...who also happens to be his dad. While the harsh reality of prison life is rarely glossed over in any sort of filmed medium, save for maybe Ronnie Barker's hit sitcom Porridge, since the late '70's nothing quite like Alan Clarke's Scum has come close to matching the gritty brutality and hopelessness of prison life, leaving it a genre just begging to be dragged in to the 21st century with a fresh injection of raw adrenaline. The opening half of David Mackenzie's film seems to rely on atmosphere rather than exposition, with a dialogue light opening half as the lead protagonist is lead to his cell, and made to go through the various rituals and indignities on his way there until the door is locked shut. When O'Connoll first speaks (in a cockney accent!) it's with the prison lingo that will make no sense to those who don't know it, and from there on in he frequently opens his mouth with savage ferocity and intense profanity. Starred Up is hailed as O'Connoll's 'break through' film, and there's no doubt he's running the show here, firmly commanding his presence as the explosive thug with raging personal issues blaring inside him, in a role that he's got form with and suits well. It's the closest thing he may well have in making him a household name, or at least getting a cult following among some. There are strong supporting turns also from Friend as the impassioned social worker and Mendolsohn as the closest thing to an authority figure O'Connoll will be made to respect. It's a film driven more by the nature of his respective relationships with these two men, and as such it feels more about these human dynamics rather than the story, which by the end has lost it's coherence a bit and loses your attention, despite the ensuing events still holding your attention for other reasons. Still, sometimes, a film needs to come along that hits you like a punch in the dark, and Starred Up fits the bill perfectly, a brutal, unflinching expose of a world most of us probably don't want to imagine, a little flawed, but mostly solid. ****

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• Well made but think twice about this one...

  MartinHafer2014-07-29

  As I said above, think twice before going to see "Starred Up". I don't say this because it's a bad film--it is very well made in fact. However, it's one of the most violent and grim prison films you can find and it's likely to make many folks depressed watching it. Because it strives for realism, it is incredibly vicious, there's some full-frontal nudity and the language is truly prison-like! So, don't let your kids watch it* and think twice before you watch it as well. If you think you're up to it, the movie is worth seeing. When the film begins, Eric (Jack O'Connell) is being processed in to prison. Exactly what he did to get there isn't ever clear--all you know is that he did some pretty bad things. However, after calmly walking through this, it's soon obvious that Eric is NOT your typical prisoner. It's not because he's so young--prison is full of young punks. However, he's so violent that even most of the prisoners are soon afraid of him. He is a boiling cauldron of rage and hate--and almost everything seems to set him off. Now you'd assume that such a nasty character would soon get himself killed, but Eric is so mean that he seems destined to possibly survive incarceration. However, a few of the old-timers are NOT pleased and it's all a matter of time until he's dead. But there is an interesting trump card--one of the old timers who practically runs the place turns out to be Eric's father. What's next? See the film. My biggest problem with watching this film isn't the violence or language. A long time ago, in my therapist days, I worked with the prison population so I wasn't really shocked by all this nastiness. No, my biggest problem were the accents. I am a bit hard of hearing (my oldest daughter attributes this to be being 'an old fart'!) and I sure would have loved some captions. Perhaps when it's released to DVD this will be an option. Aside from this, the film is well made and represents prisoners pretty well. It's sure a grim lot and I could understand folks not wanting to watch nearly two hours of such hate and anger--but this is how many folks behave inside prisons. So, if you're looking for realism, you sure have it with this film. And, although Eric is not a huge guy, Jack O'Connell does a good job playing this menacing, violent and incredibly dangerous young man. So, my verdict is that this is a very well made film....but one that probably won't have a lot of folks wanting to line up and see it. It is NOT a nice little story like "The Shawshank Redemption" but is ugly, raw and powerful. *I normally would not recommend a film like this to kids. However, perhaps young hoodlums would do well to see what prison is like unless they decide to make some life changes.

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