antoniotierno An engaging prison drama with a standout ensemble of British and Australian actors. Such are the vivid details giving "Starred Up" vigor and credibility, even when its plot goes a bit wobbly with schematics. O'Connell gives a breakthrough performance as a young man who has suffered from lack of parenting and many other things.. It's an an oblique but candid portrait of how prison works that surely explains its insights, from the power dynamics between prisoners and their guards to the portrayal of incarceration as something akin to extreme day care. Seen through the movie's lens, Eric and his fellow convicts aren't beasts as much as big babies. For all its savagery "Starred Up" gets to be sympathetic, not only due to O'Connell's galvanizing turn but also due to Asser and director David Mackenzie's commitment to portraying his character with as much compassion as brutal honesty.

SnoopyStyle Eric Love (Jack O'Connell) is a violent juvenile who gets transferred to the adult prison or Starred Up. The first thing he does upon getting into his cell is to make a shiv. He mistakenly knocks out another prisoner and then attacks the guards in the subsequent mêlée. His absentee father Neville (Ben Mendelsohn) tries to calm him down so that he can get treated by therapist Oliver Baumer (Rupert Friend).This movie isn't big on expositions. It's very raw and unpredictable. It's also not big on pronunciation and the accent can be a little thick. Honestly, I don't think I would get the father son relationship without reading it in the description and some of the characters are confusing. I can't follow everybody but Jack O'Connell shows good command of the screen even against great fellow actors. He is a promising newcomer after a stint on Skins. He could have an interesting career.

Bob An I thought about giving it a ten, but then the ending and throughout the film we do not get the informations about what happened between the father and the son which I think is important for the understanding of the whole movie and the relationship between them.All the actors are doing great. Everyone seemed very believable. The camera work is good also. I had the feeling of being present there all time.The young mr Love is really great in his role. I did not see any of his movies before, but after this one, will pay attention more to his roles.All in all, really good one!

The Couchpotatoes Jack O'Connell plays a young offender that is transferred to an adult prison due to his violent behavior. There he meets his father who he barely knows. After multiple fights he starts attending group therapy in order to try to manage his anger. The whole movie is filled with violence and effing. I don't think there are two sentences without effing. Not that I care but I thought the dialogues were a bit simple. Maybe that's common in prison. Anyways, Jack O'Connell puts down a good performance. You have the normal prison movie clichés like the corrupt guards, the therapist that believes everybody has something good to offer, the bad guy that runs the whole prison aisle etc. Not a bad movie but I saw better prison movies, but it's worth a watch.