Everyone knows that feeling—you're watching something so abrasive that you want to look away but you can't, because it's also so enthralling. That's Starred Up in a sentence, a movie about a young, troubled Brit who fights his way into prison only to finally meet the man who may be able to tame him—his father.
The movie takes place inside a jail in the UK, one of those old dingy gaols that reeks of past horrors and tensions. It's a very singular, very specific place—as are the people inside of it—so before you dive in (and be careful, because once you do there's no coming back), you gotta know your stuff.
Fortunately, we've got a little prison glossary here that should help you follow along with the film. In no time, you'll be feeling like an imprisoned scumbag too.
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Starred Up, starring Jack O'Connell, Ben Mendelsohn, and Rupert Friend, is out on Video-on-Demand on Aug. 26 and in theaters on Aug. 27. Class dismissed.
