An action-packed slog

The best films of this genre always show a path and provide a takeaway for being a better person.

Great story, amazing characters, superb action, enthralling cinematography. Yes, this is something I am glad I spent money on.

Through painfully honest and emotional moments, the movie becomes irresistibly relatable

I gave this film a chance having read the 10 + positive reviews herein. However, I feel I wasted my time watching it. It reminded me of St Trinian's - the film about the 'mischievous school girls causing havoc''. Nil character building depth - I would go as far as to say that the building of the characters is nestled within the costuming, and the viewer is expected to believe that the characters are urban clever hipsters, with a hoodlum leader who happens to be a criminal mastermind. A rather dizzy & twirling background soundtrack seems to turn itself on every now & then, adding unnecessary noisy to the scripting. It was difficult to take the characters seriously and the plot was ridiculous. A film for teenagers huddled up for a sleep over with crunch sounding popcorn.

As someone else had mentioned this was sitting in my Netflix account unloved - a little bored I thought I should watch the first 20 minutes and see where it went.Having not read any reviews I was pleased to see Timothy Spall pop up in the first 10 minutes, encouraged I gave the film my full attention. The initial dialogue was clever, maybe a little too clever but fresh with some good lines, giving a solid back story. I must admit I grew to like the 4 lads, especially the lead who delivers a strong performance. Expecting a typical revenge story with the usual violence and mayhem the Rise takes you in a different and refreshing direction.It's well shot and the impressive director makes you really feel like you are on this gritty estate in the North of England. However he also offers hope, you want these guys to get their revenge and whatever they can take from the very believable drug kingpin.As you get more engrossed by the film the cleverer it gets with some great twists and turns, although not completely original – it all works. There is not a weak performance from the whole cast while backed up by a fantastic soundtrack (if you like your dance music). What I liked most is that the film does not go too far either; there is no violence or nudity for the sake of it. It's a great British film that should not be left too long to watch.

OK i don't review much stuff (indeed this is probably my first film review) but i feel like this film needs a little helping hand. This film is above average for your standard Brit flick, the acting is great, the story bounces along nicely & the overall plot is clever. If you like a good honest film, with decent acting, a nice bit of revenge, a nice bit of robbery, and a nice bit of violence, get this one watched. It seems to have been off a lot of people radars but it certainly deserves a wider audience, if you liked lock stock, or the bank job etc, in fact if you like any sort of heist/revenge scenario, this is a definite for your watch list. 7* from me but i can understand people scoring it that little bit higher, it really is a good watch.

'Wasteland' is a British gangster flick - usually the kind of film I avoid like the plague, but to my surprise I really enjoyed the story of four lads who decide to gain revenge on the local hard nut who sent one of them to prison: the characters are likable, there's a feel-good ending, there are some nice twists to the plot (although I never did work out what was the point of the crossbow) and, unlike most British gangster flicks, it has neither Ken Stott, Danny Dyer nor Jamie Forman in it - definitely a plus! Gerard Kearns (a 'Shameless' escapee) plays one of the lads; acting honours go to Timothy Spall as a world-weary police detective with a heart of gold.