--- title: "Starred Up: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/film/starred-up/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/film/starred-up" critics_score: 78 critics_reviews: 30 licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # Starred Up (2014): what the critics said Critics' score 78 from 30 reviews: 30 positive, 0 mixed, 0 negative. The reviews are uniformly positive, with praise centred on Jack O’Connell’s volatile, vulnerable lead performance and his tense exchanges with Ben Mendelsohn. Most critics find David Mackenzie’s prison drama convincing in its physical detail, sustained danger and refusal to soften the violence. The therapy scenes draw particular praise, while many reviews find compassion and a credible interest in rehabilitation beneath the aggression, giving the father-son story more weight than the familiar prison setting might suggest. The spread runs from solid approval to considerable enthusiasm, with reservations clustering around familiar plotting, difficult dialogue and the handling of sentiment. The Guardian finds the later passages sentimental and clichéd, while Time Out objects to blunt father-son melodrama and convenient plotting. Neither rejects the film: the disagreement is chiefly over how well the writing sustains the force and credibility that critics consistently find in the performances. ## Empire — Damon Wise Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 23 January 2014. Festival review. The critic positions the film as a serious contender to classics like Scum, highlighting its brutal, immersive prison survival story and Jack O’Connell’s breakout performance as a troubled young offender. It offers a critique of society’s neglect of youth. [Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/starred-review/) ## Evening Standard Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 11 September 2013. Festival review. The critic calls it the finest British-made prison drama in a long time, praising its compelling thriller qualities, strong direction, and standout performances, especially from Jack O’Connell and Ben Mendelsohn. The authentic prison setting and script add weight. [Read the review](https://www.standard.co.uk/culture/film/starred-up-film-review-8808616.html) ## Screen Daily Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 10 September 2013. Festival review. The review describes a raw, compelling drama that grows more so as it unfolds, the most powerful and assured of Mackenzie's career. It singles out the riveting depiction of prison life and the complex father/son relationship. [Read the review](https://www.screendaily.com/starred-up/5060288.article) ## The AV Club — Ignatiy Vishnevetsky Rating A-. 27 August 2014. The film is a brutally unsentimental yet profoundly humane and idealistic drama about prison life and rehabilitation. It excels through its empathy for all characters and strong direction of actors in a realistic, spatially immersive setting. [Read the review](https://www.avclub.com/starred-up-is-a-brutal-but-profoundly-humane-look-at-1798181211) ## The New York Times — A.O. Scott Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 26 August 2014. The critic finds the film a raw and scary study of chaos in prison life centered on a volatile father-son relationship. Strong performances by Jack O'Connell and Ben Mendelsohn stand out amid the brutality and shifting loyalties. [Read the review](https://www.nytimes.com/2014/08/28/movies/starred-up-a-father-and-son-prison-drama.html) ## Little White Lies — Adam Woodward Rating 3/4/4. 20 March 2014. The review highlights the bruising and brutal jailhouse drama riding on Jack O'Connell's astonishing central performance. It singles out the authentic, unsentimental look at the penal system and the volatile father-son dynamic. [Read the review](https://lwlies.com/reviews/starred-up) ## Radio Times — Damon Wise Rating 4/5. The review calls it a brutal but rewarding drama that births a new British star in Jack O'Connell. It praises the harrowing immersive experience and O'Connell commanding the screen as the sympathetic antihero. [Read the review](https://www.radiotimes.com/movie-guide/b-k66ilh/starred-up/) ## The New Yorker — David Denby Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 8 September 2014. The review highlights the film's extraordinarily high suspense and explosive prison drama, praising the indelible performance by Jack O'Connell as a young man full of aggression and hurt. Direction by David Mackenzie creates a tightly woven and exciting experience despite some dialogue issues. [Read the review](https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2014/09/15/lonely-people) ## Vulture Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 29 August 2014. Starred Up is an edgy, brilliantly disorienting prison thriller that makes a familiar world feel strange and convincing. It stands out for O'Connell's remarkable, huge yet subtle performance as the volatile teen and the filmmakers' non-nihilistic view of the system. [Read the review](https://www.vulture.com/2014/08/movie-review-starred-up.html) ## Film Comment — Graham Fuller Fi1m's normalised score 75/100 (inferred from the text). 1 July 2014. The critic describes the film as a punishing realist drama with tense, fluent storytelling that is emphatically visual. It notes the film's relative optimism compared to antecedents like Scum, allowing for empathy with the protagonist. [Read the review](https://www.filmcomment.com/article/review-starred-up-david-mackenzie/) ## Los Angeles Times — Kenneth Turan Fi1m's normalised score 75/100 (inferred from the text). 4 September 2014. The critic describes the film as unsettling and shocking, marrying ferocious violence with powerful performances that make it intensely dramatic. Jack O'Connell and Ben Mendelsohn deliver knockout turns in this British prison story directed by David Mackenzie. [Read the review](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/la-et-mn-starred-up-review-20140905-column.html) ## Slant Magazine — Elise Nakhnikian Fi1m's normalised score 75/100 (inferred from the text). 26 August 2014. The film credibly explores questions of rehabilitation and forgiveness in an authentic prison setting with strong, believable character dynamics. It benefits from meticulous realism in filming and performances that convey the brutality and potential for change. [Read the review](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/starred-up/) ## Financial Times — Nigel Andrews Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 20 March 2014. A tough, remorseless British prison drama that powerfully parodies social institutions through its microcosm of jail life and strong performances, standing as a nihilistic counterpart to films like A Prophet. [Read the review](https://www.ft.com/content/c8963228-b029-11e3-b0d0-00144feab7de) ## IndieWire — Eric Kohn Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 25 August 2014. Starred Up stands out from typical prison dramas through its focus on complex father-son dynamics and the possibility of change within a brutal system. It highlights the strong performances, particularly O'Connell's, in a grounded and empathetic portrayal. [Read the review](https://www.indiewire.com/criticism/culture/review-why-starred-up-with-jack-oconnell-isnt-your-average-prison-drama-22886/) ## Sight and Sound — Michael Pattison Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 20 March 2014. The critic praises the film's muscular and moving depiction of prison life and Jack O'Connell's excellent performance as the vulnerable yet volatile protagonist. The anger-management class scenes are singled out as the most gripping. [Read the review](https://www.bfi.org.uk/sight-and-sound/reviews/film-week-starred) ## The Guardian — Peter Bradshaw Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 20 March 2014. The film delivers a brutal, authentic look at prison violence and father-son dynamics through strong performances, especially in therapy scenes drawn from real experience, but grows sentimental and clichéd toward the end. [Read the review](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2014/mar/20/starred-up-jonathan-asser-peter-bradshaw) ## The Hollywood Reporter — Todd McCarthy Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 1 September 2013. Festival review. The film announces Jack O'Connell as a major new star with his volatile, Cagney-like performance as the ultra-violent teen Eric. It offers a potent but familiar and detailed look at British prison life that may need subtitles for wider US audiences. [Read the review](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/general-news/starred-up-telluride-review-619077/) ## The Independent Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 20 March 2014. The critic finds the film a raw, testosterone-fuelled prison drama that barely notices plot cracks thanks to its intensity and strong performances from the leads. Therapy sessions and the father-son dynamic stand out amid familiar genre elements. [Read the review](https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/starred-up-film-review-raw-prison-movie-poses-as-oedipal-drama-9205703.html) ## The Times — Wendy Ide Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 11 October 2013. Festival review. Life behind bars is evoked with jarring clarity in this high-octane prison drama featuring a lurking sense of danger and an explosive lead performance, though it lacks the formal daring of A Prophet. [Read the review](https://www.thetimes.com/uk/crime/article/starred-up-at-london-film-festival-396cfqjnwdv) ## Time Out — Tom Huddleston Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 18 March 2014. The critic finds the prison drama furiously compelling and superbly acted for the most part, with O'Connell a standout. It complains that the ending veers into blunt father-son melodrama and convenient plotting. [Read the review](https://www.timeout.com/movies/starred-up) ## Total Film — Kevin Harley Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 17 March 2014. The critic praises the authentic details, visceral performances, and Jack O’Connell’s intense lead turn in this tough prison movie, noting how it states its questions with emotive force despite familiar moves. The father-son tension and therapy elements add depth. [Read the review](https://www.gamesradar.com/starred-up-review/) ## Variety Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 1 September 2013. Festival review. The review calls the film a powerful dysfunctional-family saga that hits prison-film bases with blistering naturalism and features career-making performances. It notes the father-son dynamic adds universality despite challenges with prison slang. [Read the review](https://variety.com/2013/film/markets-festivals/telluride-film-review-starred-up-1200594716/) ## The Playlist — The Playlist Staff Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 26 August 2014. Festival review. Starred Up is an instant classic of the prison movie genre with a breakthrough performance from Jack O'Connell and authentic, handheld direction that captures squalid realities without compromise. It reveals a surprising core of compassion beneath the brutality and rage. [Read the review](https://theplaylist.net/review-jack-oconnell-gives-a-breakthrough-performance-in-prison-film-classic-starred-up-20140826/) ## Collider — Matt Goldberg Rating B+. 14 September 2013. Festival review. The film finds a fresh take on father-son reconciliation by setting it in prison, supported by excellent performances from Jack O'Connell and Ben Mendelsohn that remove the schmaltz from the story. The critic praises the layered, hard-hitting approach and strong acting while noting minor issues with thick accents and dialogue. [Read the review](https://collider.com/starred-up-review/) ## Consequence Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 5 September 2014. Mackenzie's gritty prison drama succeeds in exploring anger, rehabilitation, and family dynamics despite familiar tropes, thanks largely to standout performances. The critic highlights O'Connell's transformative, ferocious lead turn and Mendelsohn's reliable presence as the weary father, along with the film's visceral impact and thematic depth. [Read the review](https://consequence.net/2014/09/film-review-starred-up/) ## Digital Spy — Stella Papamichael Rating 4/5. 17 March 2014. The review praises Jack O'Connell's blistering, electric performance as the standout element in this raw prison drama. It notes the film's challenging, fly-on-the-wall approach and glimmer of optimism amid the griminess. [Read the review](https://www.digitalspy.com/movies/a555623/starred-up-review-jack-oconnell-gives-an-electric-performance/) ## /Film — Angie Han Rating 8/10. 25 April 2014. Festival review. Jack O'Connell gives a vibrant, volatile performance that suggests real staying power in this excellent prison drama that is honest about brutal realities without sensationalizing them. Complex relationships and insider authenticity from the screenwriter elevate the material. [Read the review](https://www.slashfilm.com/531490/starred-up-review-jack-oconnell-tribeca/) ## HeyUGuys — Lisa Giles-Keddie Rating 4/5. 16 October 2013. Festival review. The film explores the fallout of domestic violence on children through a pressure-cooker prison setting with authentic details and strong performances. It is an explosive and tragic watch that highlights how history repeats itself in the penal system. [Read the review](https://www.heyuguys.com/starred-up-review/) ## The Skinny — Philip Concannon Rating ★★★★. 17 March 2014. The critic calls out Jack O'Connell's fearless and commanding performance as electrifying the picture from the start. It singles out the uncommon authenticity from the script and direction in immersing viewers in the prison environment. [Read the review](https://www.theskinny.co.uk/film/cineskinny/starred-up) ## Eye for Film — Anton Bitel Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 17 October 2013. Festival review. The film is a story of fathers and sons, violence and control set in a corrupted prison system that resists change, offset by pervasive realism from its authentic source material and location. O'Connell and Mendelsohn deliver visceral performances, though the final symbolic image feels diluted. [Read the review](https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/starred-up-2013-film-review-by-anton-bitel) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/film/starred-up.md