Wednesday, August 27, 2014

Film Review: Starred Up

I saw Starred Up at LA Film Fest this past year and I absolutely fell in love with this gritty father and son prison drama. It is finally coming to theaters in New York and VOD this week! If there are any films that you should see this month, it is this film. A troubled and explosive violent teenager Eric (Jack O'Connell) is transferred to an adult prison where he finally gets to meet his match--his father (Ben Mendelsohn). Rupert Friend also stars in this as Eric's counselor who is battling his own demons. 

I thought that after seeing The Prophet (2009) that I saw the ultimate realistic portrait of the inter-workings of prison life but Starred Up is another unrelentingly riveting piece about prison culture and male behavior. Remember Jack O'Connell's name cause he's soon to be blowing up everywhere starting with Angelina Jolie' Unbroken (2014) about the life of Louis Zamperini. If you haven't seen the trailer, please do! It's probably going to be the film that puts O'Connell on the Hollywood map! We do need a more well-deserving and uber talented leading man other than the likes of Sam Worthington or Shia LaBeouf (sorry). Let me know what you think of Starred Up. And if you did watch it, what your favorite parts were!

See my LA Film Fest review of Starred Up starting from 5:50