Starred Up
First screened in December 2014
Director: David Mackenzie. Cast: Jack O'Connell, Ben Mendelsohn, Rupert Friend, David Ajala, Sam Spruell, Raphael Sowole, Anthony Welsh, Gilly Gilchrist, Frederick Schmidt, David Avery, Sian Breckin. Screenplay: Jonathan Asser.

Twitter Capsule: At times just a wallow in tar pit of virile hostility. Elevated by new takes on parental drive and the nursing of anger.

VOR:   Mackenzie, like Brad Anderson, remains an exciting but ever-deferred prospect. Subtract what he lifts from Audiard, McQueen, Cronenberg, and film seems slim. And yet, first impression is sturdy.



Photo © 2013 Film4/Sigma Films, © 2014 Tribeca Films

Not yet reviewed in full. Grade: B


Awards:
Chicago Film Critics Association: Breakthrough Actor (O'Connell; also cited for Unbroken)
National Board of Review: Breakthrough Actor (O'Connell; also cited for Unbroken)
European Film Awards: Best Sound Design (Joakim Sundström)

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