Offender

This London prison drama set in a young offenders’ institution (it was originally called ‘Feltham’) clearly sees itself as today’s ‘Scum’ – but it’s an altogether blunter instrument. There’s a grim believability to its brutal depiction of life inside – walls barely containing the aggression and fear of these angry young men. And the young cast, including ex- offenders in supporting roles, is cracking. Newcomer Joe Cole stars as Tommy, a good kid who deliberately gets himself put away to exact revenge against the gang who viciously beat up his girlfriend. But director Ron Scalpello throws the kitchen sink at his story, with flashbacks to Tommy’s life before prison and wayward plotlines (one involves a bent warden, another a conversion to Islam). It’s set against the backdrop of riots similar to those we had in London last year, but if ‘Offender’ has a point to make about the justice system, it fails to land the punch. The result feels less ‘Scum’ and more like the back-story of one of Guy Ritchie’s knuckle-headed footsoldiers.