Wonderful Movie

Nice effects though.

I really wanted to like this movie. I feel terribly cynical trashing it, and that's why I'm giving it a middling 5. Actually, I'm giving it a 5 because there were some superb performances.

Like the great film, it's made with a great deal of visible affection both in front of and behind the camera.

I found this movie to be somewhat entertaining. However you can't ignore the complete lack of acting ability and intimidation factor that English Frank presents. If he were to walk into an actual prison walking and acting as he does. I have a feeling he would not be the "boss" but the joke of the prison. His acting abilities annoyed me throughout the movie. He was terrible! The goal isn't to look like a bully at recess during your teen years. The goal is to look like an intimidating, overpowering, and scary inmate. I did feel that Joe Cole did a great job as the main character. Putting him up against a "gangster wannabe" who is very bad at acting definitely hurt what could have been a much better movie.

Offender was a good movie, possibly a great one, but I can't make that distinction, feeling like I missed a good portion of it. The story is solid and the acting is terrific, but Offender is a British film, and some of the accents were so thick, that I had a really hard time with the dialogue. The story centers on Tommy Nix (Joe Cole), a man on a mission, to avenge the savage beating of his wife, and the death of his unborn son. Tommy has a problem though, all the men responsible are already in jail. Acting on impulse, Tommy decides to get arrested, and sent to the same facility to enact his revenge. Being that this was a British film, I was not familiar with any of the actors, so I really didn't know what to expect. After seeing the film, I can tell you this much, remember the name Joe Cole, because this young man is destine for stardom. He gives one of the most powerful performances I've seen all year. Cole's performance is really what separates this film from similar stories. Tommy Nix was not a superhero, but what he has to endure at this strange prison, leading up to the exciting conclusion, was really something to see. Offender seemed blend originality with several similar story lines. It's easy to see the influence of Payback, Oz (The TV Show), and Sleepers, while watching this film. The writers took just enough to enhance the film, without making it seem like they were ripping anyone off. I really enjoyed this film and it's star Joe Cole, but I feel as though the thick accents and mumbled dialogue took something away. As someone who isn't used to hearing it everyday, it made the film somewhat difficult to understand at times. It's still worth seeing, if only for Cole's performance. Maybe the next time I watch it I'll put on the closed captioning.

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.

i too was suspicious of the low scores this film is getting (too many haters out there who don't like the genre?). Anyway it was packed when i saw at cineworld on Saturday night and got a good reception from a mostly young crowd. The lead actors are very good, some of them fresh talent. Joe Cole from TV's Skins is a revelation. The film goes at a fast pace and has some great fight scenes. Not really a remake of Scum but more a contemporary Brit thriller. You should like it if you have a taste for films like Taken and the Bourne trilogy. Lifted above the hoodie genre tag by the eclectic score of new music and classic soul tunes. Offender deserves to be a hit as its something a bit different from recent British films like Adulthood, Ill Manors etc.