Starred Up (2014)

Having loved David Mackenzie's latest film 2016's 'Hell or High Water' and being recommended another critically acclaimed film 'Starred Up', via reviews for 'Hell or High Water' praising some of Mackenzie's previous work, 'Starred Up' fascinated me from the get go and didn't disappoint.It is a near-instant classic, though its hard-hitting and brutally violent nature won't appeal to everybody, and British prison drama doesn't get much better than 'Starred Up'. What seems familiar, and it doesn't exactly tread new ground, avoids being clichéd. To me, the only thing that doesn't quite work is that some of the prison justice elements is a little overcooked. Otherwise, 'Starred Up' is terrific.'Starred Up' looks stylish and enhances the setting's realistic queasiness and toughness. The music is suitably haunting, without overdoing or underplaying it.Mackenzie directs with darkly compelling realism and plays a large part in making the father-son relationship so gripping and dynamic, creating an environment so dehumanising and harrowing and delving into the film's sociological tone.The script is taut, sharp and smart, authentic in its abrasiveness yet with welcome and never misplaced humour and never forced pathos. And life in prison has rarely been depicted with the amount of clarity shown here. The storytelling really hits hard in a gritty and unashamedly uncompromising fashion, develops the remarkably complex characters beautifully and never holds back or take any prisoners, while bleak and violent it's effective in showing prison life's brutality and never trivialising it.Jack O'Connell's anti-hero is tragically troubled while showing sympathetic and powerful sides, seamlessly commanding the screen in a powerhouse lead performance. His performance is matched brilliantly by the coldly intense one of Ben Mendelssohn. Their complex characters and dynamic chemistry dominate the film and outstandingly. Rupert Friend is just as strong.Overall, not quite perfect but absolutely wonderful. Just know what you're letting yourself in for. 9/10 Bethany Cox

Is not an everyday thing (specially with my supernatural taste in movies) to stumble with a movie SO realistic, so true. The number that resumes this movie doesn't has to mean anything to you because, and you need to have this present in your mind in every second, I prefer and always will prefer fantastic movies with things that can't happen in real life not even in a thousand years. There are some other people that prefers real movies, elements which you can relate with. I don't and that's why I won't give a 10 or a 9 to this movie. What I can say, is that if I'd be one of those people who prefer real instead of unreal, this movie would definitely be on the top 15 best films. Raw, hash, thug, that's what this movie is about. According to the director and other guys involved on the making of this movie, they were trying to recreate exactly how prisons are in England, and you believe it. I don't fell sorrow or anything (if i lived there, I would) but it makes you think for a moment and it makes you imagine how would you react on a situation like that one. Anyway, It's a great film but also a long one. The end is excellent, the development too; the Indie-movie air is always present throughout the entire movie; the acting is great, one of the best things, and that's pretty much It. For those who love realistic movies, they will really enjoy this one; for those of us who love unrealistic movies, we will also enjoy this but not as much as the other guys. 7/10.

The prison scene has been done to death now, but this original piece, or should I say masterpiece, has given a new light to the genre. Starred Up is a prison drama which focuses on a father and son relationship whilst giving us the usual gritty prison violence and abuse. There is never a dull moment in this movie and everything feels realistic or as realistic as it can be for someone whose never experienced prison. Nothing feels forced, no stereotypical metaphors and the clichés are kept to a minimum. Glorious filmmaking, glorious story and a glorious acting cast. Starred Up takes my vote as the greatest prison drama ever made and that's over The Shawshank Redemption which looks like play school compared to this.

There is really no plot to this movie. Just a young man goes to prison, meets up with his dad and not much else happens. It took me 4 tries to watch this movie. I finally set viewing to 4x near the end to keep from falling asleep. ALmost no action. Dialog is poor at best. No moral, no plot, just trudging along an average person in jail. I do not usually regret watching a movie because If its bad enough, I stop watching near the beginning. But, this one has great acting and i kept wanting something to happen. Alas, nothing ever does. There is more going on in a 15 minute span of watching OZ on HBO. I would have giving it a 1 star but the acting was good.