Friday the 13th (2009)
Movie
A group of young adults discover a boarded up Camp Crystal Lake, where they soon encounter Jason...
Die Hard: With a Vengeance (1995)
Movie Watch
In this third film of the Die Hard series, McClane's past comes back to haunt him when a terrorist...
Clue (1985)
Movie Watch
Based on the popular board game, this comedy begins at a dinner party hosted by Mr. Boddy (Lee...
Gimme Gimme Gimme
TV Show
This outrageous flat share sitcom takes the 'odd couple' scenario and augments it with a hefty dash...
Greedy (1994)
Movie Watch
Elderly Uncle Joe (Kirk Douglas) made his fortune as a businessman, and now his heirs are...
The Hard Crowd: Essays 2000-2020
Book
From the Booker-shortlisted author of The Mars Room, a career-spanning collection of spectacular...
JT (287 KP) rated Starred Up (2014) in Movies
Mar 16, 2020
It’s a major part of their relationship as Nev’s parental tactics involve the cruel to be kind method. It’s the only way that Eric is going to survive and the only way he will walk out in one piece. Eric finds some solace in Oliver (Rupert Friend) whose anger management sessions are a place to unleash a tirade of resentment. It places him within a group where any other individual might find themselves out of their depth – Eric takes it full on.
The film is written by Jonathan Asser, a former prison psychotherapist who worked in HMP Wandsworth. So he more than anyone can inject the film with a massive sense of realism. The prison violence can be hard to watch but you don’t find yourself turning away from the screen.
It’s not shrouded in Hollywood gloss and is shot with graphic precision. Mendelsohn’s performance is excellent playing the psycho and his delivery is spot on. Friend is also a joy to watch and a real talent. The Homeland star-making imprints into the acting elite.
However, this is very much O’Connell’s film and it’s not hard to see why he is fast becoming a standout actor. Grabbing this role in a vice-like grip he battles with his personality, the adoration from his father and a corrupt system who want him eradicated. It doesn’t paint the prison system in a particularly good light but then prison isn’t supposed to be a holiday camp.