Starred Up

 

 

This film about a father and son and their relationship in a British prison was not as effective on me than it would be on someone who HASN'T seen every episode of LOCKUP ever made. I like those prison stories so to me this seems like a normal look inside a British prison. This kid could easily have been profiled on the TV show because he is such a problem for staff. The father/son in jail is a story angle I have seen before as well. Real reactions and real emotions trump the movies any day. That doesn't mean to say that this movie isn't good because it is. It's got moments of real tension and you never quite know when the violence is going to explode. It's a good character study with some excellent performances. I have just seen it all before.