Offender | |
---|---|
Directed by | Ron Scalpello |
Written by | Paul Van Carter |
Produced by | Paul Van Carter Nick Taussig, Stephen Mitchell, Rhys David Thomas |
Starring | Kimberley Nixon Shaun Dooley Joe Cole Tyson Oba Vas Blackwood Ruth Gemmell David Ajala Doon Mackichan |
Cinematography | Richard Mott |
Edited by | Johnny Rayner |
Music by | Chad Hobson |
Production company | Gunslinger Films & Revolver Entertainment. An RDT Co-Production |
Distributed by | Revolver Entertainment |
Release date |
|
Running time | 102 minutes |
Country | United Kingdom |
Language | English |
Offender is a 2012 British action film which follows a hard grafting, 20-year-old working-class man, Tommy Nix, who while avoiding getting mixed up in the wrong crowd sees his girlfriend fall victim to a brutal attack. [1] It stars Kimberley Nixon, Joe Cole, Shaun Dooley and Vas Blackwood. It is written by Paul Van Carter and directed by Ron Scalpello.
The film received mixed reviews from critics, with a 68% score on review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes. [2] Empire magazine and Total Film both rated it 3/5, with Empire Magazine stating it was "a solid revenge thriller in which Cole excels" [3] The Guardian gave it one star, stating "the plot and characters are lame and implausible, the dialogue is banal and the acting mediocre". [4] Time Out claimed the film "feels less Scum and more like the back-story of one of Guy Ritchie’s knuckle-headed footsoldiers." [5]
The film received a 4/5 rating from Heat magazine stating "this bloody borstal drama makes quiet political points alongside a powerful revenge storyline" and a 4/5 rating from Sky Movies calling it an "admirably crafted a compelling drama" and likening it to French prison film A Prophet and Alan Clarke's 1979 film Scum . [6]
CineVue presented a 3/5 review for the film, stating that "Scalpello's Offender is far from original" However it presented "enjoyable performances and an entertaining revenge plot." [7]
In general the reviews rate the film for its depiction of characters involved in and affected by the riots. The Londonist states "It’s a surprisingly comprehensive look at the lives of young criminals, in particular their sense of isolation and disenchantment with a corrupt system." [8]
The film gained more positive reviews from urban and music press. Music sites Bring The Noise and MTV have rated the film 8/10 [9] and 7/10 [10] respectively.
Cool Hand Luke is a 1967 American prison drama film directed by Stuart Rosenberg, starring Paul Newman and featuring George Kennedy in an Oscar-winning performance. Newman stars in the title role as Luke, a prisoner in a Florida prison camp who refuses to submit to the system. Set in the early 1950s, it is based on Donn Pearce's 1965 novel Cool Hand Luke.
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