Offender

The pregnant girlfriend of Tommy Nix is assaulted causing her to miscarry . Tommy assaults a couple of police officers so he can be jailed in order to carry out his revenge on the men who committed the crime against his girlfriend

A simple revenge plot and perhaps mindful of this director Ron Scalpello goes out of his way to make sure the audience don't get bored by a simple tale of revenge . Massive big mistake because Scalpello almost undermines the movie with his " hey look at me " directorial flourishes that makes a MTV ident look like a static painting in comparison . The more you might be reminded of Alan Clarke's gritty realist cinema borstal drama SCUM the more Ronnie boy tries to distract you

I've no idea of Mr Scalpello's background but he's obviously influenced by adverts and music videos and never resists the temptation to have a blasting soundtrack with moody stylistic sharply edited visuals . You don't like drum and bass bruv ? Don't worry because in a few minutes we'll get a long montage with some indie guitar sounds . You want romance ? Good because we'll have a smoochy song for a flashback . You want the film to just get on with telling a story ? You're being a little bit optimistic for real bruv innit

This is something of a pity because Scalpello does manage to develop Paul Van Carter's screenplay intermittently but perhaps not often enough . I was very impressed with Joe Cole who very often doesn't get to say much but does manage to give an angst ridden performance and I look forward to seeing this young actor in more suitable material . Of the other performances the stand out is English Frank ( Not I take it his birth name ) as Jake the prison daddy . Yeah okay it a in your face OTT performance that possibly has no basis in reality but it is memorable and is in keeping with the entire style of the movie

OFFENDER ends up being a very curious film where less might have been more . It can never be accused of being boring or having a sluggish pace but it's a film that can't be taken seriously either . In other words it's disposable entertainment

It confounds me how many people find this a 'realistic' film blah blah. A "kid" with no record ends up on the same cell block as offenders with multiple convictions? A youth facility with only one female officer? The uncontrolled behaviour of offenders and staff alike is ridiculous and "realistic?" And I don't think I saw any one offender who looked less than 20 and most looked much older. Even Cole in the lead role was 24 when this was made and he's the youngest looking of the bunch.

The injuries are typical film make-up and if you think a washroom beating leaves you with a bruised eye, you don't know "realistic." The probation officer works alone, doesn't call police, then leaves work in the stereotypical dark and gets punched out in front of typically no witnesses, even though she was initially terrified and HAD to know something could happen. Duh. And she has a shiner to show for it and loses the baby. OMG. How contrived. How stereotypical.

Those of you who think this movie has ANY redeeming qualities, you need to see more films. You also need a prison tour. A realistic stint in prison is boring and I get the need to spice it up. But don't be predictable and stereotypical to the point of insulting. Waste of time.

2012 was an amazing film for British Films, something that I realised very early on when I checked out at least 72 of them last year. Offender was the first UK film that I watched in 2013(on DVD). Excellent film with a basic yet very effective storyline and some wonderful performances from the leads and the supporting cast. A 21st century version of 'Scum' with a better storyline. Definitely worth checking out. 2012 gave the film world, great British films like Deviation, GBH, Hard Boiled Sweets. Im very happy to be able to add Offender to the list of films that I recommend.

The DVD is available now to purchase from main outlets.

"Offender" is a failed attempt to attract audiences with a mix of drama and thrill within the prison walls. The film tries to present the story of a young man, Tommy Nix, who deliberately gets himself imprisoned to exact revenge on a group of criminals who harmed his pregnant girlfriend. Unfortunately, the screenplay fails to deliver a convincing story or relatable characters.

One of the biggest flaws in "Offender" is the lackluster acting. The film's lead, Joe Cole, gives an unconvincing and uninspired performance, making it difficult for the audience to empathize with his plight. Additionally, the other characters are shallow and underdeveloped, especially the actor who played the main villain, English Frank. His performance is one of the worst I've ever seen. He attempted to portray a psychopathic criminal who does whatever he wants, whenever he wants, with anyone, but he failed miserably in his role. This failure prevented feelings of anxiety and fear from reaching the audience, undermining the credibility of the events and leaving gaps in the story without sufficient explanation or justification.

The direction suffers from a clear lack of innovation and creativity. The violent scenes, which are supposed to be thrilling and impactful, come off as exaggerated and devoid of realism. The excessive reliance on violent scenes strips the film of its message, making it seem like a superficial experience rather than providing a deep social analysis of the prison environment, which the film attempted but failed to deliver.

The screenplay is full of plot holes and predictable scenes, causing the film to lose elements of surprise and excitement. The dialogues are unrealistic, clichéd, and childish, adding to the overall frustration with the film. Additionally, the soundtrack is often inappropriate, exacerbating the film's shortcomings.

Overall, "Offender" fails to achieve any of the goals one might expect from a gritty prison drama. It is a film that lacks depth and innovation, leaving viewers feeling they have wasted their time watching an ill-constructed story with unconvincing performances.

My Rating is 5 out of 10

Note: If you have free time, look for a better experience unless you want to waste your time. Sleeping is better than watching this film.

its an update on scum but very different from recent film dog-pound it actually goes beyond both those due to a truly stunning performance from lead actor Joe Cole who is a newcomer.

Cole is amazing, he has intensity and focus and emotion that reminds me paddy considine sometimes, and also tom hardy in Bronson.

the rest of supporting cast are strong especially the evil prison warden. lots of shaky camera work and a good soundtrack.

very violent sometimes too violent in places, and the ending of this film flips it on you. but after having left it just grows on you and you think more and more about the lives of the two main characters at the end, and what must have happened to them beyond where the story left off, the sign of a good story always if it rattles round in your head as you leave the cinema.

its not really comparable to a Prophete that was a very different film, but this film becomes the new Scum for this century and thanks to actor Cole who will be a star it is powerful enough to be better than Winstone's film from the 80s.