Review of Starred Up (2014) by Howard S — 29 Mar 2014

The most beloved of prison films - 'The Shawshank Redemption', 'The Green Mile', 'Cool Hand Luke', 'Papillion' - all feature characters who we can identify with, who might be incarcerated but still have basic, inherent goodness that is threatened by the crushing institution & its brutal denizens.

Not so 'Starred Up'. Jack O'Connell's Eric, a 19 year old sent up from young offenders to the big boys prison, is an uncontrollable, unpredictable skin sack of pure violence, his first act on reaching his cell to craft a shank out of a razor blade and toothbrush and hide it in his light fitting.

He's terrifying, but he's intelligent. Until his rage kicks in. More terrifying, but less intelligent, is his psychotic father (a brilliant performance by Ben Mendelshon), also incarcerated and a big swaggering cock on the block, also a coiled, swivel-eyed psychopath ready to unload at the slightest provocation.

As the two, and other hard, scary men, pinball around the prison colliding, slashing & pummelling, there's the vague possibility of redemption thanks to posh-boy do-gooder Oliver (Rupert Friend, excellent, mentally tough but physically fragile, in comparison) - a therapist of sorts who is teaching the most violent offenders how to control themselves.

But there's no easy resolution here, no stunning moment of revelation. Instead there's a crushing, corrupt system, blurring the lines of criminality & complicity, that's interested only in maintaining the status quo & erasing troublemakers, one that presents almost insurmountable challenges.

While 'Starred Up' is a tough watch, and frequently a horrifying one, Jack O'Connell's staggering performance is reason enough to gird your loins and give this a crack. In this depressing, brutal, blood-soaked arena, a star has been born.