Very well acted, kinda sad that Jack O'Connell's career hasn't entirely taken off since this film, as he's clearly very talented. I suppose his character isn't as flashy as what Tom Hardy got to do for _Bronson_, but I still found this character very interesting nevertheless, taking some clear cues from movies like _A Clockwork Orange_. The psychological aspect is probably the most interesting part of the film and feels very authentic, apparently the writer had some first hand experience when writing this script. There's lots of subtlety, and it hits some great emotional beats in the second half that I'm certainly going to remember, in particular some of the scenes relating to the character played by Rupert Friend. However, I did find the presentation a little too dry. The handheld adds a nice gritty touch, but the cinematography and editing are just serviceable. Really could've used more atmosphere and an ambient background score. Within the prison drama subgenre, a movie like _A Prayer Before Dawn_ hits much harder for me, and it's mostly because the filmmaking is much better at building this bleak tone.

7/10