Rosser94

Jack O' Connell triumphs with a solid performance in this unoriginal but certainly not uninspired British flick. Every role is filled with above- par acting and the simple plot is paced perfectly. Enjoyable action scenes are met with a multitude of cliché's and a decent yet far from memorable script, however perfection never seems to be the aim of this movie.

"Starred Up" should be taken for what it is: a fast-paced, entertaining and very British drama that is not trying to do anything different. Despite the lack of originality, elements from films such as: "Scum", "Mean Machine" and even "Kidulthood" can be identified and form a very watchable piece of cinema.

The main substance of the movie can be found in the key relationship between Father and son; both actors portray their characters believably and are characterised in a manner that forces some sort of meaning into the violence and aggression throughout. However, as said before, there really is nothing new here and the conclusion of the movie leaves a lot of questions and situations unanswered and unresolved. Yet, despite this,if you enjoy violent, British drama's centered around a rebellious, youthful protagonist, this is well worth a punt.

I was never expecting an epic movie prior to watching "Circle of Pain", just an average, simplistic yet entertaining action movie. However, this film does not prove solid enough to provide viewers with an entertaining movie experience.

Firstly, the acting is never anything above average and the fight scenes are poorly constructed, therefore the action sequences are never more than mildly entertaining. Furthermore, all of the characters are very forgettable so, as a viewer, I never really cared about the outcome of the film (despite of the fact I expected and received little more than a collaboration of tedious clichés that dictated the direction of the mundane plot).

In addition to this, the script is incredibly cheesy and destroys any kind of seriousness or tension within the movie; it is very difficult to take this movie seriously.

Overall, if you are a HUGE fan of MMA movies and can tolerate a trashy script and substandard acting, this unoriginal, basic fight film will not be the worst piece of cinema you've spent your time to view. If you did not fit this category... Look elsewhere, perhaps at something like "Never Back Down".

"Gummo" is not the type of movie most people would enjoy (myself included). It attains a style that gives it a documentary style and the lack of any clear direction results in it feeling like an assortment of random events.

In terms of what I do credit "Gummo" for, the honesty of it allows it to be undeniably shocking at points and its unique, peculiar characters make it in some ways intriguing. Furthermore, the cast is relatively weak, yet every actor pulls of a believable, solid performance, some of which evoke limited but evident moments of humour.

However, the number of issues I had with this movie prevents it from being one I rate highly. Firstly, the pacing is incredibly odd. There seems to be no sense of progression or direction at any point in the movie and this gives it a lack of purpose. Furthermore, the characters were all very difficult to relate to; as a result, it hard to empathise with them, or to show any real interest in their predicaments and fates. In addition to this, there were a lot of insignificant moments that were dragged out in this movie that made it feel incredibly mundane; it began to feel like such events were used merely as time-fillers.

Overall, I feel that whilst "Gummo" is a unique and honest experience, it lacks a sense of direction that renders it as a relatively pointless narrative. Furthermore, the lack of characterisation forces the audience away from the action-on-screen instead of engaging them and allowing them to relate to the characters, which is a major flaw for this type of movie. If, like me, you wish to watch "Gummo" purely because the concept intrigues you, then try it for 30minutes and see how you feel, because there is no change in style, direction or purpose for the remainder of the running time.