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

Based on screenwriter Jonathan Asser's experiences working as a voluntary therapist at HM Prison Wandsworth.

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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

Referenced in Film '72: Episode dated 17 December 2014 (2014)

User Reviews

Brutal and Brilliant

For a film that seemed to come out of nowhere, with a limited advertisement campaign and small budget, Starred Up has proved to be one of the more ballsy pictures released in some time - and with a UK release date sandwiched between two major blockbuster sequels, it had to do something to stand out from the crowd.

The main attribute of the film is its acting, most notably central character Jack O'Connell; a career-best performance from our lead protagonist serves as the driving force of the film, immersing the audience so much in the drama of it all that we can't believe we're feeling sorry for the prick we thought we knew in the opening stages.

However we all know that good acting doesn't necessarily constitute a good film; but placing such talent in the hands of David Mackenzie and providing a gripping (albeit unoriginal) story line is a damn good combination.

Despite the many positives, where this film fails is in the variety of on-screen shenanigans. Although it does slowly progress, the day-to-day life on the inside seems repetitive and predictable, particularly when the overall message is all too familiar and practically clichéd.

All in all however, Starred Up is one of the best prison dramas in a long time, and probably the best British film this year. Not for the faint-hearted, this superbly acted drama will scare you into following the law to the strictest command.