Starred Up!!!!

Starred Up.

Violence, corruption, drugs and survival are some aspects to prison life and you certainly do need to survive while in prison. I honesty can't remember the last time I saw a film set in a prison, Bronson I think was the last film that touched upon this subject in a gritty way.

The basic plotline is Eric Love (Jack O'Connell) is a fresh faced young man given an early transfer from the Young Offender Institution to an adult prison. Being the loud mouthed, confrontational and confident person he is he doesn't quite fit in with the inmates. 

Over the course of the film he gets into trouble, fighting prison guards, attacking other inmates and basically fighting for his own survival. One man stands out from the rest Neville (Ben Mendelsohn) who sympathises with the young man and gives him some stark firm but fair advice on surviving. As situations escalate and people end up dead or injured Eric must learn to comply with the system or he will go down fast and end up dead himself.

Going to group therapy sessions he opens up abit more and talks about his father, who turns up and walks into the room. Neville is his father and the group soon learns why Eric has stayed alive for doing so many things wrong so quickly. Finally stepping in as a father both of them need to learn, to either open up and have a father/son relationship or just learn to survive and move on.

As I say this is the first prison film I've seen in a good while and it makes a difference and certainly lets the acting come across really well in confined spaces. The storyline of son meeting father in prison is clever and shows an angle to prisons that you wouldn't ever usually think about could happen. O'Connell plays Eric with such ease and confidence but then his character could be seen as a more grown up Cook from Skins. Mendelsohn portrays the broken father with hope with ease as well, learning to adapt to his surroundings he survives knowing the inner circles of the prison and gets by by any means necessary. 

I have to mention the violence which not only is impressive but in this film is necessary and something that is a need to an end to lengthen Eric's survival. Making make shift shanks out of a melted toothbrush and a razor blade shows he can be creative and still survive. The storyline of father and son is what makes it so interesting, if it was lone man trying to survive it would be too contrived and bland. Throw in a small confined place with father and son who haven't seen each other in years and its a perfect setting. 

For a small budget film set in a prison it is seriously impressive and a film that deserves so much attention. Using actors who can show and bring out that genuine quality to prison life and still make the film exciting and engaging is impressive. For anyone who likes to watch gritty, violent films showing the realistic side to life in prison then seriously watch this film.

10/10.