FilmSnobReviews

Title: Starred Up
MPAA Rating: R
Director: David Mackenzie
Starring: Jack O’Connell, Ben Mendelsohn, Rupert Friend
Runtime: 1 hr 46 mins

What It Is: Eric Love (O’Connell) is a troubled young man. In juvenile detention for murdering his molesting legal guardian as a minor Eric throughout his stay there was labeled as a danger to himself,and everyone else. Classified as “starred up” for his fits of violent rage he’s moved to an adult facility. It is in this prison we see his male example, his father Neville (Mendelsohn) whose been here since Eric was a small boy. After an incident proves to quake Eric’s existence here in the prison he’s enrolled in a counseling program run by Oliver Baumer (Friend) who believes he can transform the uber-violent Eric to something more along the lines of his surname. Along the way we’ll learn a thing or two about not only what drives this young man, but what makes the man that made him.

What We Think: Completely gripping. I couldn’t take my eyes off of the screen. O’Connell somehow makes this horrible, horrible person somewhat sympathetic. You feel for Eric, you know  he’s just a young man whose been through a ton of stuff in his life. He is only rebelling against the society that he feels has done him wrong. Ben Mendelsohn is here and much in the way that he did in 2010’s excellent Animal Kingdom he kills it anytime you put the camera on him. His is a quiet menace, the type of man whose physical appearance doesn’t warrant the fear he instills within everyone around him. He’s a father figure to a lot of the prison though he’s never been one to his  own son.

Our Grade: A, Holy damn! If you can get past the rampant f-bombs which anyone old enough to see this film should be able to do its a great gripping film. This one is filled to the brim with great performances, good action, and a story that knows exactly where it’s going. It’s grungy, and its brutal, and that’s part of it’s charm. It’s covered in dirt and doesn’t care. Enjoy this one which is currently in limited release.