Review of Starred Up (2014) by Spangle — 06 May 2016
Starred Up is a truly refreshing breath of fresh air into the prison subgenre. Often, these films can feel quite repetitive. Yet, here, it is a truly unique offering that may touch on similar notes as past prison films, but has a lot of worthy topics to bring to the table.
Jack O'Connell is honestly mesmerizing here as he commands the screen and struggles with the world around him due to his damaged past. O'Connell's brilliance and passion are matched perfectly by Ben Mendelsohn in a truly aggressive, yet truly gentle father role.
Rupert Friend and the rest of the cast also do quite well here in this film from director David Mackenzie. Thanks to the good writing and solid direction from Mackenzie, O'Connell's performance is allowed to take center stage and really tell the story at times.
This film is packed to the absolute brim with emotion from its actors and its stories and it truly makes good on all of the emotional drama it presents. Overall, Starred Up is a fantastic character study that really makes you feel as though you are in prison with the characters.
This review of Starred Up (2014) was written by Spangle on 06 May 2016.
Starred Up has generally received very positive reviews.
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