The Riot Club

IFC Films | Release Date: March 27, 2015

5.8	USER SCORE Mixed or average reviews based on 25 Ratings

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foxgroveMar 27, 2015

Based upon the popular west end hit play Posh, this opened up film adaptation is a far more successful enterprise and brings clarity to the jealous rivalry which is a core ingredient propelling the rest of the story forward. Sam Claflin andBased upon the popular west end hit play Posh, this opened up film adaptation is a far more successful enterprise and brings clarity to the jealous rivalry which is a core ingredient propelling the rest of the story forward. Sam Claflin and Max Irons play two students who are newly recruited into the said club, which has been a tradition at their school for many years. Claflin quickly has his nose put out of joint when Irons wins an initiation test forced upon them by the existing 8 members, and the seeds are sown for a revenge which turns out to be more potentially damaging than any of the boys could have imagined.
Whereas the play more or less just set the scene for the dinner itself where vandalism, violence and the high jinks of a bunch of ‘spoilt brats’ is the order of the day, the film carefully sets up Claflin's jealousy and dislike for his study partner which results in bloody violence. The set piece, the dinner scene, is expertly handled. Director Lone Scherfig places us right in the middle of the group as a participant one moment and then pulls his camera back to allow us to observe with some horror the behaviour of the so called ‘privileged class’.
Most of the actors involved are from the original play staged in London’s west end and everyone seems comfortable with their character. Irons plays Miles as a decent guy with a conscience caught up in events that are essentially alien to him, whereas Claflin totally fits in to the spirit of the group. His is undoubtedly the standout performance.
The play was undoubtedly very enjoyable and yet any scepticism about what the film could bring to make the material seem fresh proves unwarranted. In fact the story has actually been pulled in to sharper focus giving more context and understanding of the characters motivations and their subsequent actions.… Expand

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