Perry Kate Very very predictable, including the post credit scene !!!

Pluskylang Great Film overall

Limerculer A waste of 90 minutes of my life

Rosie Searle It's the kind of movie you'll want to see a second time with someone who hasn't seen it yet, to remember what it was like to watch it for the first time.

Liam Cullen This is a film which forces you to think differently. Boy A completely shifts its focus from the typical media perspective and instead chooses to concentrate on the one(s) being vilified.Before watching Boy A, I reminded myself about the facts of the James Bulger case. It's painfully clear that this film was intended to force viewers to have a new perspective on the case and its perpetrators: Venables and Thompson. In both the film and the case, there are: two schoolboys skipping class and getting up to no good, an unspeakable act of sheer horror, and prosecution by both the judiciary and mainstream media. The most heartbreaking allusion that the film makes to the case, though, is in its use of the train tracks. The train tracks are where James Bulger, at only two years old, was sickeningly abused and ultimately killed by the two boys, depicted by the media at the time as Child A and Child B.Both Eric and Philip have very troubled backgrounds and as a result their morals and values have been entirely skewed. Eric, at least, seemed to lose his sense of knowing right from wrong the longer he was around Philip and subject to his brash, violent nature; the more exposed he was to Philip, the more detached he became from humanity.Was Eric a bad person? From everything we've seen, no: it seems as though an abusive father, a detached mother, an unsupportive and inadequate school system, and bullying all had a detrimental impact on the growth and development of this young boy. Eric did kill (or at least take part in the killing of) a schoolgirl, and took part in some other very violent acts too; however, this only occurred after he had been exposed to and influenced by Philip for some time. Jack, on the other hand, is one of the most friendly, caring, and vulnerable individuals you'll ever see on-screen - he is totally at odds with Eric. This juxtaposition is excellently handled by the director through the use of flashback to simultaneously introduce us to both Eric and Jack whilst distinguishing the two.Additionally, it must be noted that the schoolgirl whom Eric and Philip kill is not revealed to be entirely innocent, kind, or vulnerable. Instead, she's portrayed as an arrogant, rude, distasteful little girl. Her attire and well-spoken nature lead the audience to believe she's from a wealthy background, whereas Eric and Philip are the complete opposite. This makes it even more difficult to watch as we know that the schoolgirl is the victim, but ultimately so are Eric and Philip.A scene which I found especially perplexing was the one in which the pair of them catch a fish and Philip then proceeds to beat the fish within an inch of its life, only to toss it back into the water. He admits that he knows the fish won't survive, yet he's still chosen to release it back into the water rather than show it mercy. This speaks volumes for the way in which young offenders are handled in the justice system. Is rehabilitation truly effective? Can it have a beneficial impact on the offenders? Or by the time they're finally released back into society has the damage already been done too significant?The drawing we see at the end of the film by the little girl indicates that she sees Jack as a hero. This further reinforces the idea that it's all a matter of perspective. In a past life, Eric used his knife to kill a schoolgirl; but to this little girl, Jack is a hero who used his knife to save her. This stark contrast goes to show how much an individual can change, as Jack's mentor, Terry, identifies when he reflects on how far Jack has come since he met him all those years ago. This notion, then, seems to answer the questions raised earlier in the film as to whether or not rehabilitation is actually effective: we can see from Jack's behaviour and his progress that rehabilitation can and does work. Unfortunately, though, once someone has been broken into so many pieces and they've been put back together, it only takes the most gentle upset for it all to come crashing down again.In the end, we're led to believe that he jumped. Jack admits that, as Terry often told him, Eric is dead - in his past. But now that his past has been brought up again, it has consequently resulted in the destruction of Jack: his new identity. This leads him to a sense of hopelessness as he realises he's trapped between two worlds and they're collapsing against one another, pinning him in between until he shatters. This leaves us with a bleak message: we, the public, have ultimately caused Jack to take his own life. What makes this far more serious is that public intervention actually has resulted in the deaths of innocent people, such as Scott Bradley, who was wrongly identified as being Venables. As a result of his misidentification, he was harassed, vilified, and took his own life; an innocent man died at the hands of the public's persecution.If you enjoyed Boy A and the way it encouraged you to see from a different perspective, then I urge you to watch "The Dirties", which deals with bullying in schools and the consequences which can arise from neglecting to address it.All in all, Boy A is a highly thought-provoking and devastating film, which ask us to pause and reflect on our treatment of young offenders and consider that there may - and indeed likely is - more going on than that which is portrayed by the media. Only once we take a step back and contemplate our crucification of these children can we effectively pinpoint what causes such tragedies to occur and prevent them from happening ever again. RIP Jamie Bulger.

SnoopyStyle A young man (Andrew Garfield) is released from prison with a new identity Jack Burridge. He tells his coworker Chris that he stole cars for joyriding. He is guided by Terry (Peter Mullan) in his rehabilitation as he reacclimatizes to the normal world. Terry has a troubled son of his own. Michelle (Katie Lyons) from work takes an interest in Jack. Jack and Chris come across a crashed car and save a little girl which becomes big local news. Eric Wilson is a young boy who is befriended by violent volatile Philip Craig. They skip school and start doing petty crimes. After murdering a girl, Eric is named Boy A in the trial.His secret identity is revealed midway through the movie. I would have preferred it earlier so that the audience can appreciate Jack's inner conflict. A small part of the brutal attack should be in the opening without revealing the main culpability. It should shock the audience just like it did to Jack. The movie should be more definitive. Andrew Garfield is great. He has the looks of the boy next door but also is able to portray a troubled soul. He shows his great acting potential.

sergepesic The endless circle of violence. Those of us who are hurt, feel the unstoppable need to hurt the others. Perhaps to assuage the pain, or to distract themselves from the turmoil they feel inside... Who really knows. But, it repeats itself all over the world. Another lesson never learned, another bang head wise into the brick wall. This gut wrenching movie has just the right amount of sentiment not to slip into the quagmire of schmaltz. It makes you ache for the protagonists, without the need to repeatedly bludgeon you with its strong, powerful message.Its beauty is in its simplicity and clarity of ideas. And in its in trust in the intelligence of the viewers. Great movie.

Rodrigo Amaro A horrible crime was committed. The young perpetrators paid their price in jail. One of them is about to be released and he'll try to start a new life. Everybody needs a second chance. But does everyone agree on that? Punishment was already made or it must be equal to the one he committed in the past? In the amazing "Boy A" Andrew Garfield plays the title role, his name while during his trial for killing a child, along with a friend. Now he's out of prison, with a different name, Jack, and he's going to rebuilt his life along with his protective rehabilitation worker Terry (Peter Mullan) who'll help him find a job and everything he needs. Simple as that? No. Jack is still haunted by the ghosts of the past, often reminding of how he end up doing what he did and also thinking his future might be ruined if people discover the truth. His work colleagues and his girlfriend know he did something to be imprisoned but they don't know what. Things would be the same if he reveals the truth to them, now that he's settled, quite happy and things aren't so tough anymore? But destiny has its odd surprises...Carefully constructed over an quiet, dramatic and tense atmosphere "Boy A" moves to so many directions without being confusing or problematic. It moves back and forth with Jack's new life and his life as a kid, giving us through the whole film an incredible sense of doubt if he really did committed a murder or not. The story greatly presents themes of redemption, love, friendship, humanism, it's all good but I had the sense that somehow, if you look carefully and closer to the elements given here in this story, you'll find some issues that can and will bother some viewers (although I think almost anyone haven't noticed such issues). Here they come: Sure, it's totally laudable to tell a story about someone who made a mistake, now needs a second chance, we can care about those things, we feel sorry for the young man. I know this was adapted from a book so they had to follow it's base but here's where my point of view tries to reach: Would we care for this film if Jack was portrayed by a more average type of actor, not so cute like Garfield or of a different race? Maybe, maybe not but it certainly would have less importance than this film has and "Boy A" is a great achievement because Andrew Garfield does an extremely convincingly job in the main role, and that was used by the director as a way to manipulate their audiences in the sense you must forgive the criminal, you can't condemn him to more punishments than the ones he already got. And you do feel lots of sympathy towards Jack/Garfield that's why I think the challenge made the film worth it (to an incredible number of viewers just look at the positive reviews here on the site) but this same cause might not work to some people, specially close-minded ones. Please don't get me wrong because I'm giving these remarks and a 10 star rating for this film; it's not contradictory. I'm just like what Terry is to Jack, he knows the young guy is imperfect, knows what he did but he cares for him in high esteem, no matter what. Same thing here between me and this film! Now launched as the new Spiderman and the memorable Eduardo Saverin of "The Social Network", Garfield must be highly noted for his performance here. If you haven't seen it run for it! He plays an difficult role portraying many different emotions into just one character, a man with a heavy burden to carry trying to unload part of it with his new life even though he's forever attached to his past. He really amazes us by showing what a guilty conscience is, it's that kind of feeling of never letting things go even when you know it's far behind you. Supporting him in great style is Peter Mullan, who plays an interesting figure in Jack's life, a man more proud of this boy even with all the things he done rather than feeling some admiration for his own teenage son, of whom he isn't so close after some problems in the family.At last but not least I loved this film for the small things that made the whole difference in the story, the minimal and almost unnoticed thing it occurs here: the importance of a good family structure. Lifes were shattered and never were the same if people would only pay attention to that little boy, who turned out to ruin another family lives and the story goes and on and on. Dramatically effective, quite realistic (inspired in the events of James Bulger case) and very well made this film is a must see for those who like involving stories and are not afraid of feeling sad or depressed through the whole journey. It certainly will reward you. 10/10