Advertisement
Powered By
IMDB

Review

A star rating of 4 out of 5.

A new British star is born in this brutal but rewarding drama, with Jack O'Connell as a violent young offender transferred to an adult prison. There he must defend himself not just from other inmates but overzealous and corrupt wardens, too. Presented as a harrowing immersive experience, the film starts with O'Connell's Eric being inducted into jail, a dehumanising and humiliating process that is only a curtain-raiser to the everyday hell that is life on the wing. Scorning the best efforts of well-meaning volunteer counsellor Oliver (Rupert Friend), Eric stubbornly resists any attempt to rehabilitate him. However, a glimmer of hope appears in the unlikely form of Neville (Ben Mendelsohn), an older con with a fatherly air. That's because Neville is Eric's father - but will his form of tough love be Eric's salvation? It's a question this moving but unsentimental film pursues to its stunning climax, and though the depiction of prison justice sometimes recalls an overcooked version of Hogarth's A Rake's Progress, O'Connell commands the screen as the troubled yet somehow sympathetic antihero.

How to watch

Loading

Streaming

Credits

Cast

rolename
Eric LoveJack O'Connell (2)
Neville LoveBen Mendelsohn
Oliver BaumerRupert Friend
Deputy Governor HayesSam Spruell
HassanAnthony Welsh
TyroneDavid Ajala
Dennis SpencerPeter Ferdinando
RyanAshley Chin
Governor CardewSian Breckin
Officer SelfTommy McDonnell

Crew

rolename
DirectorDavid Mackenzie

Details

Theatrical distributor
20th Century Fox
Released on
2014-03-21
Languages
English
Guidance
Violence, swearing, nudity.
Available on
DVD and Blu-ray
Formats
Colour
Advertisement
Advertisement

RadioTimes.com is getting better.

Fresh new look, redesigned programme hub, richer content…

FIND OUT MORE
Advertisement