Starring: Jack O’Connell, Ben Mendelsohn, Rupert Friend
Directed By: David Mackenzie

Jack O’Connell had quite a year, and no one even knew it. Everyone thinks he’s the kid from Unbroken, but he’s amazing in Starred Up. He’s got so much talent, I don’t know where we found him, but he’s going to have a long career. In Starred Up, he has the privilege of playing a young criminal who is “starred up” when he goes to jail, meaning that instead of going to a jail with minors, he’s moved up to a jail with adults. One of those adults is his father (Mendelsohn), who he hasn’t seen since he was five, and has an understandably rocky relationship with. He’s also taken under the wing of a therapist (Friend) who is trying to work out his anger management issues.

O’Connell bares everything in a raw performance. If this was done in shaky cam, you might think it was a real experience. He’s tough, he’s broken. Sadly, this is a film that flew WAY under the radar and isn’t getting any awards buzz. That is incredibly bizarre since it has a 99% on Rotten Tomatoes. How could a film with a 99% on Rotten Tomatoes not have ANY Oscar Buzz? What a damn shame.

Director David Mackenzie does a great job of giving us a realistic portrayal of prison life, while creating a cast of interesting supporting characters, and keeping the tension tight the entire film. It’s psychological, it’s smart, and like some of the characters in the film, it’s dangerous. Can redemption be found, or are we doomed to repeat the mistakes of our past? Regardless, make sure you check this out. Jack O’Connell is worth watching.

FINAL GRADE: A-