Starred Up is not, repeat not, for your Aunt Nelly. Not unless you want to witness her rapid demise caused by heart-arresting vocabulary. A large percentage of Jonathan Asser's screenplay consists of two particular four-letter expletives. And then there's the violence. The extreme violence. And the male nudity. Starred Up is bloody, brutal and very unpleasant most of the time. It might well be a powerful drama with some solid performances, but it is not for delicate, elderly relatives or those without a very broad mind and a considerable tolerance level.
Eric is the 'starred up' con in question. Explosively violent, he is transferred to an adult prison, but any thoughts of him mellowing through fear of his hardened, violent peers on the prison wing evaporate before you can shout "riot police." Without compunction or any trace of conscience, Eric attacks at whim. This is one angry caged animal. However, fellow prisoner Neville (Ben Mendelsohn) is having none of it, and he just happens to be Eric's dad.
It is very tempting to elevate Starred Up to seven or eight stars but that's the immediate impact and shock value talking. The morning after, when it has filtered through the brain, I find myself wondering what exactly it was for and what it had to say that hasn't already been said in the likes of Scum (both the 1977 original TV film and the 1979 cinema remake). From the distance of a few hours, it is far easier to recognize the checklist of prison film stereotypes: nice guard, bent guards, violent cons, prisoner elder statesman
Director David Mackenzie (Hallam Foe, Young Adam) gives nods towards sexual relationships and the black market, and there are more than a few references to the corruption within the system, but none of this is given more than a glance and there are one or two serious incidents left unresolved. However, the focus on Eric, his relationship with his father and the interaction with members of the anger management group he joins and the do-gooder, Oliver (Rupert Friend) are handled well.
Jack O'Connell has cut his teeth on some tough roles in the likes of the superb Eden Lake, This is England and Harry Brown, as well as gaining a following from Skins. He is certainly convincing here as a vicious thug that I would pay very good money to avoid. Certainly there is a character arc here and he approaches it with determination and, though he perhaps doesn't quite convince at the far end of the arc, he makes a fine job of avoiding the pitfalls of obvious character evolution. There might be change in Eric, and he may even learn, but I wouldn't bet a penny on his complete redemption.
Mendelsohn is an actor who crops up frequently in solid, gritty films (The Place Beyond the Pines, Killing Them Softly) and it is his performance as Neville that wheedles its way into one's memory most convincingly. At once recognizable as what the system (here at least) refers to as a 'lost cause', Neville is not merely a brute but a lost man as troubled as his estranged son. Both father and son crave fear and attention, but while Eric has no qualms in achieving it with whatever weapon he has to hand, Neville flounders when it is clear his assumed authority has been usurped. There is little danger of us liking either man but perhaps there is more of Neville in us than we'd care to admit.
Bringing moderation to the violence is Oliver, a volunteer with his own daemons who needs to be amongst the prisoners at least as much as they need to be with him and far more so than the prison officers would like. Trusted by a small segment of the prison population and barely tolerated by the guards, his is a strange existence. We know little of his background or drive and that works perfectly here amongst characters that mostly couldn't give a damn. Next up for Friend is Terry Gilliam's The Zero Theorem, though his 'TV Presenter' is likely to have far less of an impact on us than Oliver.
Mackenzie has hacked out a brutal, angular film from a lump of discarded coal. It is dark, dirty and, man, it's gonna hurt when it hits you in the temple. Starred Up isn't a film we are supposed to dance away from filled with the joys of spring and I'm not even sure I enjoyed it much, but it is a good film and worth an evening of your time if you have the stomach for 106 minutes of life with the underbelly of society.
There are some interesting touches with long-held shots and the motif of revolving doors, and Mckenzie doesn't shy away from the aggression that pervades the prison system, but there is little light or joy in Starred Up.
And that's just as it should be.
For more reviews from The Squiss, subscribe to my blog and like the Facebook page.
Eric is the 'starred up' con in question. Explosively violent, he is transferred to an adult prison, but any thoughts of him mellowing through fear of his hardened, violent peers on the prison wing evaporate before you can shout "riot police." Without compunction or any trace of conscience, Eric attacks at whim. This is one angry caged animal. However, fellow prisoner Neville (Ben Mendelsohn) is having none of it, and he just happens to be Eric's dad.
It is very tempting to elevate Starred Up to seven or eight stars but that's the immediate impact and shock value talking. The morning after, when it has filtered through the brain, I find myself wondering what exactly it was for and what it had to say that hasn't already been said in the likes of Scum (both the 1977 original TV film and the 1979 cinema remake). From the distance of a few hours, it is far easier to recognize the checklist of prison film stereotypes: nice guard, bent guards, violent cons, prisoner elder statesman
Director David Mackenzie (Hallam Foe, Young Adam) gives nods towards sexual relationships and the black market, and there are more than a few references to the corruption within the system, but none of this is given more than a glance and there are one or two serious incidents left unresolved. However, the focus on Eric, his relationship with his father and the interaction with members of the anger management group he joins and the do-gooder, Oliver (Rupert Friend) are handled well.
Jack O'Connell has cut his teeth on some tough roles in the likes of the superb Eden Lake, This is England and Harry Brown, as well as gaining a following from Skins. He is certainly convincing here as a vicious thug that I would pay very good money to avoid. Certainly there is a character arc here and he approaches it with determination and, though he perhaps doesn't quite convince at the far end of the arc, he makes a fine job of avoiding the pitfalls of obvious character evolution. There might be change in Eric, and he may even learn, but I wouldn't bet a penny on his complete redemption.
Mendelsohn is an actor who crops up frequently in solid, gritty films (The Place Beyond the Pines, Killing Them Softly) and it is his performance as Neville that wheedles its way into one's memory most convincingly. At once recognizable as what the system (here at least) refers to as a 'lost cause', Neville is not merely a brute but a lost man as troubled as his estranged son. Both father and son crave fear and attention, but while Eric has no qualms in achieving it with whatever weapon he has to hand, Neville flounders when it is clear his assumed authority has been usurped. There is little danger of us liking either man but perhaps there is more of Neville in us than we'd care to admit.
Bringing moderation to the violence is Oliver, a volunteer with his own daemons who needs to be amongst the prisoners at least as much as they need to be with him and far more so than the prison officers would like. Trusted by a small segment of the prison population and barely tolerated by the guards, his is a strange existence. We know little of his background or drive and that works perfectly here amongst characters that mostly couldn't give a damn. Next up for Friend is Terry Gilliam's The Zero Theorem, though his 'TV Presenter' is likely to have far less of an impact on us than Oliver.
Mackenzie has hacked out a brutal, angular film from a lump of discarded coal. It is dark, dirty and, man, it's gonna hurt when it hits you in the temple. Starred Up isn't a film we are supposed to dance away from filled with the joys of spring and I'm not even sure I enjoyed it much, but it is a good film and worth an evening of your time if you have the stomach for 106 minutes of life with the underbelly of society.
There are some interesting touches with long-held shots and the motif of revolving doors, and Mckenzie doesn't shy away from the aggression that pervades the prison system, but there is little light or joy in Starred Up.
And that's just as it should be.
For more reviews from The Squiss, subscribe to my blog and like the Facebook page.