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Ghosted (2010)

Director: Craig Viveiros

Time Out rating

Average user rating

3 reviews

Movie review

From Time Out London

Although debutant writer/director Craig Viveiros’s pressure-cooker prison drama throws in all the usual ingredients – brooding antihero, naive new prisoner, psychotic troublemaker, bent screw, violent internal politics and male rape – there are some meaty performances to chew on. With only three months to serve, model prisoner Jack (John Lynch) is gutted when his wife abandons him on the anniversary of their son’s death. ‘Find someone who really needs saving,’ advises his gnomic pal Ahmed (Art Malik). Enter young, newly arrived arsonist and artist Paul (Martin Compston from ‘The Disappearance of Alice Creed’). Their protective father-son relationship is threatened, though, by jealous, manipulative Clay (Craig Parkinson), who – in collusion with corrupt guard Donner (David Schofield) – rules the wing with quiet threats and sharp objects. Some will find the final revelation a coincidence too far, and a more experienced director would have trimmed 20 minutes from his own wordy script. But given Lynch’s incandescent intensity, Compston’s fragile vulnerability and Craig Parkinson’s slyly insinuating turn as Clay, this is first and foremost an actors’ showcase.

Author: Nigel Floyd

Time Out London Issue 2131: 22 – 28 June, 2011

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User reviews of this film

b69jojo said...

Posted on May 06 2012 13:48 brillient film, thoroughly enjoyed and was totally hooked by the end. could watch it again.

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DJ T said...

Posted on Jul 08 2011 07:46 Acting is decent, but very unrealistic... Craig Viveiros is very naive about real prison life to say the least, the usual lies in british movies about the lack of power and influence that british born caribbean and african people have in real british prison life, where racist comments like the ones said to the black prisoner in the movie are not possible unless your in a scottish prison, with one or two black prisoners... Also religions and violence have much more layers than suggested in this movie, stupid how muslim guy comes in the black guys cell and takes his bunk, with no arguement and then give him a Koran like to suggest blacks have no power in prisons... Stupid or some may suggest its just another whitewashing of real cultural influences in real british life, which is always present in british media, I dare Craig Viveiros to come to cheetham hill, peckham or handsworth with this bullshit!

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iLovefilms said...

Posted on Jul 08 2011 01:24 Just finished watching this jailhouse drama. It was an interesting watch with strong acting throughout, especially from John Lynch (Black Death). It had a few cliche moments you would expect from a "prison movie" but the film as a whole played out well & had some tense scenes. So it's worth checking out if you like this type of film; & even if you don't you may find something here to like as it's not your usual prison flick. Three stars is about right & it's certainly worth at least one viewing as it's a decent drama with a good story that offers something new.

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