Starred Up (2013)

Eric Love is a 19 year old teenager who is so violent he has been 'Starred Up' (Moved to Adult prison) where he finds his father Neville who Eric hasn't seen since he was 5 (since he was ... See full summary »

Director:

David Mackenzie

Writer:

Jonathan Asser

Stars:

Jack O'Connell, Ben Mendelsohn, Rupert Friend

17 wins & 20 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Jack O'Connell	...	Eric Love
Gilly Gilchrist	...	Principal Officer Scott
Frederick Schmidt	...	Officer Gentry
Edna Caskey	...	Officer Evans
Darren Hart	...	MacDonald
Raphael Sowole	...	Jago
Duncan Airlie James	...	Officer White
Anthony Welsh	...	Hassan
David Ajala	...	Tyrone
Jerome Bailey	...	Reames
Basil Abdul-Latif	...	Mubarak
Ben Mendelsohn	...	Neville Love
Matt Faris	...	Officer Hall
Aisha Bywaters	...	Nurse Bankford (as Aisha Walters)
Sam Spruell	...	Deputy Governor Haynes

Storyline

Eric Love is a 19 year old teenager who is so violent he has been 'Starred Up' (Moved to Adult prison) where he finds his father Neville who Eric hasn't seen since he was 5 (since he was put into care). Neville tries to get Eric to settle down, so Eric gets a chance to go through therapy with Oliver.

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Plot Keywords:

male frontal nudity | prison | male nudity | therapist | violence | 

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Taglines:

We're all different on the inside

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Genres:

Crime | Drama

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Official Sites:

Official site Official site [Japan]

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

26 August 2014 (USA)

Also Known As:

Blodsband

Filming Locations:

Belfast, County Antrim, Northern Ireland, UK

Box Office

Opening Weekend:

$816,355 (United Kingdom), 21 March 2014, Limited Release

Opening Weekend USA:

$13,561, 29 August 2014, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$34,100, 5 September 2014

Company Credits

Production Co:

Film4, Creative Scotland, Quickfire Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

106 min

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Jack O'Connell and Ben Mendelsohn would later audition for a role in a Star Wars movie. O'Connell auditioned for Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015), but didn't get cast. Mendelsohn on the other hand got the part of Orson Krennic in Rogue One (2016).

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Goofs

When Eric is hanged and then cut off in his cell, Neville tries to bring him back to consciousness while the cloth strap is still around his neck. However in the next shot, Eric coughs and no strap or even hanging mark can be seen around his neck.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Principal Officer Scott: Uncuff him.

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Connections

Featured in The EE British Academy Film Awards (2015)

User Reviews

A window into the reality that is British society.

Firstly, this is not an uplifting or feel good film, nor was it ever intended to be. If you like your film gritty and pulsatingly realistic, you'd be going back years to find a film that stands up to this.

From the outset, it is clear our young protagonist is fighting not just for survival within a hardened prison wing, but also demons that reside within. Hope is offered in the shape of a freelancing counsellor, which is initially met with disdain during a group meeting. The film then continues to show(graphically), the complex arrangements within the prison walls, and how relationships can often start badly, but develop into a more meaningful co-existence ad friendship because of it.

The usual bad prison warden is on offer too, but is done so delectably well. The anger the viewer feels at certain points in this film is palpable from the sheer heartlessness of the authorities. Prisoner's are not viewed with any great sense of humanity, dependant on stature within the the Prison of course. The unfairness of it all had me wanting to wring the neck of certain characters, all due to the powerlessness of the our protagonists position.

Does the young charger hold back? Never. Like a bull ramming it's horns against an immovable wall, he keeps the pressure on inmates and authorities alike. It's a ferocious watch, and superbly realised by Jack O'Connell playing Eric, a star in the making for certain.

Terrific acting, superb directing, eye-watering set pieces and an emotive experience of life on the inside. Simply does not get better. 10/10