'Starred Up' is emotional and brutal | movie review

Starred Up, David Mackenzie’s eighth film, is a brutal and emotional prison character study about a father and son

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Happy Thursday! Hope this week is great. I’ll be taking next week off for some mental clarity, but you can always see every movie I’ve ever recommended here.

Today’s movie is David Mackenzie’s drama Starred Up (2013)—streaming on Netflix and Prime Video. Though it was his eighth film, Starred Up is what elevated Mackenzie’s name past his less than stellar reputation as an okay-to-bad indie filmmaker. His next film Hell or High Water would earn him a Best Picture nomination. However, it all started with this hard-hitting drama. Here’s the trailer.

⚠️ Note: This movie gets pretty graphic in all aspects. Viewer discretion advised.

Starred Up is about Eric (Jack O’Connell), a juvenile inmate with… ahem, anger issues who is prematurely transferred to an adult prison where his father (Ben Mendelsohn) is jailed. While his temper gets him into trouble with just about everyone in the prison leaving him unsure of who to trust—even his father. It is 106 minutes long.

What I love about Starred Up is it’s almost devoid of sentimentality. Any that there is doused in a heavy dose of realism. However, despite its sometimes brutal depiction of prison life, it grounds all of it well-formed and complex characters that for all their flaws have redeeming qualities that keep you interested in them.

The propulsive narrative keeps you on your toes unable to anticipate what will come next, especially with Eric’s temper. And while the sudden bursts of violence keep Starred Up engaging, the most compelling scenes are the quieter ones where people work through their own traumas and maybe, just maybe, become better than before.

Starred is available to buy or rent on Prime Video, Apple TV, and YouTube.

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Pair it with ?

Uncut Gems: Howard Ratner (Adam Sandler) is a diamond dealer in New York who is always looking for the best way to make big money—that usually means making high-risk bets that don’t always pay off. Over the course of a few days, he must find a way to pay off his debts before it’s too late.

In movie news: ? How could I make a profit out of you? ?

Disney looked in its reflection and saw ???. Mulan, one of the most anticipated releases of 2020 that was pushed back due to the pandemic, will be released on the Disney+ streaming platform on September 4, 2020. But there’s a catch. Details below.

Though Mulan will be available on the streaming platform subscribers will need to pay an additional $30 fee to watch it. Yes, so you have to pay for Disney+ and then still pay for the movie.
The economics of premium video-on-demand releases is already shaky at best and with a heft $200 million price tag on the project, it’s clear Disney would have to do *something* to make their money back.
Although it seems ridiculous, I’m 80% sure that this going to be successful and deal out another blow to the theatrical experience.

❓ So, will you pay up to watch Mulan on Disney+? Reply and let me know.

Have a great weekend. I’ll see you in a week.

You’re the best —
Karl (@karl_delo)

? P.S. You can see every movie I’ve ever recommended right here.

? I’m also a Tomatometer-approved critic on Rotten Tomatoes! You can find all my reviews here.

More movies, less problems

Hey! I’m Karl. You can find me on Twitter here. I’m also a Tomatometer-approved critic.

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Karl Delossantos

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Hey, I'm Karl, founder and film critic at Smash Cut. I started Smash Cut in 2014 to share my love of movies and give a perspective I haven't yet seen represented. I'm also an editor at The New York Times, a Rotten Tomatoes-approved critic, and a member of the Online Film Critics Society.