Offender (2012)

To me, this movie is perfection.

If you don't like this, we can't be friends.

Blistering performances.

It is an exhilarating, distressing, funny and profound film, with one of the more memorable film scores in years,

Watched this at the Cinema months back and hadn't seen it since, so I decided to buy it the other day on DVD. A brilliant film, not entirely original but a fresh take on a done subject. 'Offender' stands comparison against the great British films of today, such as 'Kidulthood', 'Adulthood', 'Harry Brown', 'Ill Manors' and so on. After a blistering opening sequence, the film continues to impress with its bleak vision of prison life. Joe Cole stars as Tommy, the good young lad who thrown into hell when his girlfriend is assaulted. He's out for revenge. Need I say more. With his moody baby face and mental transformation, Joe Cole is sensational as Tommy. You can feel his pain and anguish and you want nothing more than for him to get his revenge. The other performances are good too. English Frank is both laughable and menacing. The soundtrack is superb at times, the settings feel genuine and the violence is swift. While this isn't cheery stuff, it's sure to impress and entertain certain viewers. Cole really delivers and I hope he goes far after this. ****/*****

For those old enough this is kind of a Scum remake (just not quite as good), our lead loses his girlfriend after she miscarries their baby and he wants revenge on the criminals who (possibly) caused it... How does he do that? Gets banged up so he can beat them up.Our lead is then banged up and so begins his quest to avenge his girlfriend, tackling the bad guys one by one without them knowing who or what is doing. Thrown in the bent guard who enjoys partying with the bad guys and you get the picture. It's him against the world. His story is told through a series of flashback and dreams and other than that you never really get to know him... Yes, it sounds dodgy but give it time and it is actually quite good, the lead plays the part well - you can never really work him out as to whether he is a crazy or just really angry and on the edge. The supporting cast are a little weaker, not bad just weaker.There are also scenes where truth and realism take a back seat - like the 2 ZX10 bikes they have, how did they obtain 2 bikes in the same colour in the same place at the same time during the riots all with matching helmets!? - and better yet they can ride them like demons! Then after the attack on the shop they nick another car (BMW this time) and drive to the shop for reasons we never find out, only to encounter the police investigating the crime - really, what a surprise!!! Would any aspiring criminal (been doing since he been Sh**ting rusks, apparently) do that? I doubt it. I could not help feeling that the burglary got shoehorned in at the last minute to beef up the menace of the gangsters...Overlook these small flaws and give it a chance and it's a pretty good film. I doubt it will win awards or Oscars and we probably will never consider it a classic BUT it does draw you in, you do care about the lead and if we rated films on how believable they are (aside the small errors) then this film would do better than most blockbusters.6/10 for me, only just though...To sum up, give it a chance and you might be surprised!! I have a feeling we might be seeing more of the lead in the future.

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.

I was intrigued as to why this was scoring so low on IMDb yet there was a suspicious lack of scaithing reviews - a film that is so hated usually inspires a few rants, yet nothing. So I decided to judge for myself.I've read comparisons to Scum and Prophet, obvious comparisons due to the location being in a borstal, but as the story was of a man seeking vigilante justice comparisons to Death Wish and the totally implausible Law Abiding Citizen spring to mind.Tommy his a hard working youth who's starting a family with his girlfriend when his life is turned upside down by a gang of four armed robbers. It seems clichéd but at least the back story is not quite as obvious as it appears on paper as you learn how Tommy got to this point with just a hint of the man he is on the outside through flash-backs. Now if you can believe the slightly unlikely main plot device that Tommy can commit a crime to get sent to both the same jail and wing as the men/boys he wants justice from then you can buy in to the story - as far as I'm concerned that is the only weak point.Joe Cole is convincing as Tommy, a man who's world has been turned upside down and has gone to extreme lengths to rid himself of the guilt and anger he feels. There's a strong cast who bring a believability to these characters and the portrayal of borstal is grim and harsh yet feels very real.The were 18 people in the 16:40 Monday afternoon showing I went to and none walked out. I don't think it's a classic but I gave it a 7/10 and would recommend to anyone who likes a decent British movies along the lines of Ill Manors and Kidulthood to go and see it whilst it's still showing.