Starred Up (2014)
92%RT Audience Score: 84%
Awards & Nominations: 17 wins & 22 nominations
Smart, hard-hitting, and queasily realistic, Starred Up is an instant classic of U.K. prison cinema.
Starred Up is like a rollercoaster ride, but instead of loops and drops, it’s filled with tension and danger. The film does an excellent job of showing the harsh reality of prison life, and the performances are top-notch. Jack O’Connell is a force to be reckoned with, and his portrayal of a troubled young man is both heartbreaking and terrifying. Director David Mackenzie doesn’t shy away from the brutality of the situation, but he also manages to find moments of humanity and compassion. Overall, Starred Up is a gripping and intense film that will leave you on the edge of your seat.
Production Company(ies)
Universum Film
Distributor
Tribeca Film
Release Type
Theatrical, Theatrical (Limited)
Filming Location(s)
Belfast, County Antrim, Northern Ireland, UK
MPAA / Certificate
Not Rated
Year of Release
2014
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Color:Color
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Sound mix:Dolby
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Aspect ratio:2.35 : 1
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Runtime:1h 40m
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Language(s):English
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Country of origin:United Kingdom
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Release date:Release Date (Theaters): Aug 27, 2014 Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Feb 3, 2015
Genre(s)
Crime/Drama
Keyword(s)
starring Ben Mendelsohn, Rupert Friend, Jack O’Connell, Sam Spruell, David Ajala, Peter Ferdinando, directed by David Mackenzie, written by Jonathan Asser, crime, drama, box office performance, budget, reviewed by David Sims, David Ehrlich, Walter V Addiego, Kate Muir, David Denby, Ann Hornaday, Taylor Baker, Cory Woodroof, Karl Delossantos, David Harris, Christopher Preston, MPAA rating, Gillian Berrie, Brian Coffey, Tribeca Film, adult prison, juvenile facility, violent father, explosive teenager, cutthroat culture, prison life, gang violence, corruption
Worldwide gross: $3,025,189
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $3,780,722
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 2,253
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 412,292
US/Canada gross: $54,915
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): $68,630
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 2,715
US/Canada opening weekend: $10,358
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): $12,945
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): 2,647
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): NA
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): NA
Production budget ranking: NA
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): NA
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): NA
ROI to date (est.): NA
ROI ranking: NA
Rupert Friend – Oliver
Jack O’Connell – Eric
Sam Spruell – Governor Hayes
David Ajala – Tyrone
Peter Ferdinando – Dennis Spencer
Director(s)
David Mackenzie
Writer(s)
Jonathan Asser
Producer(s)
Gillian Berrie, Brian Coffey
Film Festivals
Tribeca, Telluride, Toronto
Awards & Nominations
17 wins & 22 nominations
Academy Awards
All Critics (117) | Top Critics (44) | Fresh (116) | Rotten (1)
Mackenzie is seeking to understand how all this explosive male energy can co-exist under such brutal conditions, and the answer is with great difficulty.
September 22, 2016
David Sims
The Atlantic
TOP CRITIC
What makes Starred Up such a riveting experience is that, despite the often unintelligible brogues in which its characters speak, the film so vividly depicts the cutthroat culture of prison life that nothing gets lost in translation.
September 27, 2014 | Rating: 4.5/5
David Ehrlich
Complex
TOP CRITIC
Director David Mackenzie has empathy for the characters, but also knows how to ratchet up the tension and make the scene of mayhem pack a wallop.
September 25, 2014 | Rating: 3/4
Walter V. Addiego
San Francisco Chronicle
TOP CRITIC
Take one teenager. Add raw testosterone. Arm with unquenchable, unreasoning anger. Lock in pressure-cooker cell. Unleash. Roll camera.
September 23, 2014 | Rating: 4/5
Kate Muir
Times (UK)
TOP CRITIC
[An] unusually cohesive and exciting prison drama …
September 22, 2014
David Denby
New Yorker
TOP CRITIC
“Starred Up” manages to be sympathetic, not only because of O’Connell’s galvanizing turn, but also Asser and director David Mackenzie’s unwavering commitment to portraying his character with as much compassion as brutal honesty.
September 18, 2014 | Rating: 2.5/4
Ann Hornaday
Washington Post
TOP CRITIC
Episode 27: Valhalla Rising / Bronson / Starred Up / True Detective S3
September 9, 2021 | Rating: 86/100
Taylor Baker
Drink in the Movies
Throughout, Starred Up keeps the audience in its own prison of nervous tension and worry, as Mackenzie casts a shadow of terrifying unpredictability over each scene. That unease is heightened by O’Connell’s masterful performance.
September 9, 2021
Cory Woodroof
Nashville Scene
What I love about Starred Up is it’s almost devoid of sentimentality. Any that there is doused in a heavy dose of realism.
August 6, 2020 | Rating: 4/5
Karl Delossantos
Smash Cut Reviews
A provocative if downbeat film that will likely grip you from its opening scenes to the end.
November 27, 2019 | Rating: 3.2/5
David Harris
Spectrum Culture
Despite its use of tried-and-tested tropes, David Mackenzie has made something that feels incredibly refreshing and relevant.
June 17, 2019 | Rating: 4/5
Christopher Preston
One Room With A View
Comes armed with a fine cast, topical subject matter and just enough subversion of a well-worn genre stable to please those exhausted by mindless gangster slash ’em ups.
March 8, 2019 | Rating: 3/5
Daniel Green
CineVue…
Plot
Eric Love is a 19 year old teenager who is so violent he has been ‘Starred Up’ (Moved to Adult prison) where he finds his father Neville who Eric hasn’t seen since he was 5 (since he was put into care). Neville tries to get Eric to settle down, so Eric gets a chance to go through therapy with Oliver.
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
Jack O’Connell’s performance in Starred Up is described as “an explosion of brilliance, announcing him as a major new talent.”
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