Starred Up
2014 · 1h 46m · Drama
Watch it tonight. This is a visceral, unflinching prison drama with near-perfect critical acclaim that actually earns its brutal intensity—it's not torture porn, it's character study with real emotional stakes. Jack Smyth and Ben Mendelsohn's father-son dynamic crackles with tension, and the anger management scenes hit different when you care about whether these guys can actually change.
Plot
19-year-old Eric, arrogant and ultra-violent, is prematurely transferred to the same adult prison facility as his estranged father. As his explosive temper quickly finds him enemies in both prison authorities and fellow inmates — and his already volatile relationship with his father is pushed past breaking point — Eric is approached by a volunteer psychotherapist, who runs an anger management group for prisoners. Torn between gang politics, prison corruption, and a glimmer of something better, Eric finds himself in a fight for his own life, unsure if his own father is there to protect him or join in punishing him.
Director: David Mackenzie
Cast: Jack O'Connell, Ben Mendelsohn, Rupert Friend, David Ajala, Peter Ferdinando