And yet another UK prison drama. Milquetoast David Jonsson is slated for early release due to overcrowding but has to navigate sharing his cell for his last few weeks with psycho Tom Blyth, fresh from Aylesbury. Blyth has empty-headed ambitions to dominate the drug trade in their wing but the established order (Alex Hassell and Corin Silva) stand their ground.
It's mostly like a simplified A Prophet (2009) but nowhere as interesting: Jonsson's character is hopelessly naive and weak, and having him dominated by the stronger prisoners yields a far less interesting dynamic. Much of it makes little sense — why put this (fire)cracker in with someone who's almost out? why do the authorities leave these violent men who almost killed each other on the same wing? why is security in the kitchen so lax? why are the screws so cowed? etc. Perhaps the most interesting bits are the services Jonsson provides: haircuts and curries cooked in electric kettles. He's proud of his work, so much so that he's more concerned that the tea will taste funny if he doesn't clean up right away than the task ahead when the big day comes around.
Some of the cinematography is interesting: overly-brief "vertical videos" showing various goings-on are interspersed, which I guess is something of a lift from Natural Born Killers (1994). I wish these had been longer and better contextualised. Directed by Cal McMau from a script by Hunter Andrews and Eoin Doran. The acting is generally fine. I wish it had tried to say something new and not just replay the odd-sock cellmate moves. Humourless.
Peter Bradshaw: four stars. "Some of the tropes are familiar, but this film sidesteps the cliches with the committed acting and fierce storytelling punch" — if only that were so.
