Featured Audience Ratings

• Daniel P

  
  To me, the whole film boils down to the long conversation, between Bobby Sands (Michael Fassbender) and Father Moran (Liam Cunningham), a scene that takes up about a quarter of the movie but keeps you riveted throughout. Much uglier depiction of the prison conditions for Irish… More
  To me, the whole film boils down to the long conversation, between Bobby Sands (Michael Fassbender) and Father Moran (Liam Cunningham), a scene that takes up about a quarter of the movie but keeps you riveted throughout. Much uglier depiction of the prison conditions for Irish Republicans than, say, In the Name of the Father, and in my opinion, a much less sympathetic film, too - McQueen's work does a lot more documenting than inspiring and the work hits pretty hard, in all.

• Julie B

  
  Well, that was depressing. But holy monologue, Fassbender!

• Jeff "

  
  Steve McQueen's debut feature is a stunning picture about the 1981 hunger strike carried out by members of the IRA. What I love about Steve McQueen (not to be confused with actor of the same name) is his knack for telling a thought provoking story that is superbly acted and… More
  Steve McQueen's debut feature is a stunning picture about the 1981 hunger strike carried out by members of the IRA. What I love about Steve McQueen (not to be confused with actor of the same name) is his knack for telling a thought provoking story that is superbly acted and paced. He is fast becoming one of the best filmmakers around. With a powerful cast lead by Michael Fassbender, Hunger is a must drama that recounts this ordeal with a sense of surrealism. This is a film that relies on good acting, effective directing and a good plot to tell its story, and it delivers something truly remarkable. As far as I'm concerned, this is among the most impressive debuts for a filmmaker that I have seen in quite some time and it proves that you can pull something special with just basic elements. McQueen's use of a stripped down approach to telling a story works because he knows how to deliver something unique with what he's trying to say. He is a gifted filmmaker and his talents would only benefit him even more with his second picture, Shame. The fact that this film was based on real events only adds to the entertaining value of the film, and you simply cannot tear yourself away due to the fact that the men who carried out the strike were prepared to die for what they believed in. That for me just makes Hunger a must see picture due to the fact that it is a well crafted drama that has a truly compelling story and acted, directed by very talented people. This is a film you soon won't forget.

• Mark W

  
  In 2011, "Shame" was released. It was a powerful piece of cinema and one of the most provocative and controversial film's of the year. It was also one of the very best. But if you look back to 2008 and this previous collaboration with director Steve McQueen and actor… More
  In 2011, "Shame" was released. It was a powerful piece of cinema and one of the most provocative and controversial film's of the year. It was also one of the very best. But if you look back to 2008 and this previous collaboration with director Steve McQueen and actor Michael Fassbender, you'll realise that provocative and hard-hitting filmmaking is something these two, seemingly excel at. In Northern Ireland, 1981, Irish revolutionary inmates in the Maze prison begin a protest to attain political status and not to be seen as criminals. Their demands are refused by the British Government so one man, Bobby Sands (Michael Fassbender), leads a hunger strike. This was a defiant act against tyrannical British rule and one that would reverberate internationally. I find it hard to be subjective in my views of the atrocities that the British Government imposed upon the Irish revolutionary movement. I'm disgusted and appalled at some of the parliamentary decisions and I make no excuses for my prejudices toward Margaret Thatcher either. The hunger strike of 1981, is a shameful and atrocious piece of history, of which, she was at the forefront. It's a time in history that many will want to forget, but here, director Steve McQueen paints a vivid and unflinching portrayal of these harsh times and conditions. He starts by informing us that 2,187 people have been killed in "the troubles" since 1969 and that the British Govt have withdrawn the political status of all paramilitary prisoners. Irish republicans in the Maze Prison are on a 'blanket' and 'no wash' protest. We are then introduced to a prison guard, bathing his bloodied knuckles in water. Primarily, the warden we follow seems to be torn and struggling. However, it's soon apparent that these prison wardens are only upholding the state, so sympathy wains. There is a struggle at heart here and the British Govt has a lot to answer for. Rearing her ugly head, Margaret Thatcher is overheard on a radio broadcast, refusing to accept any form of "political or criminal violence". Anyone familiar with her time in office will be aware of her sheer hypocrisy here. She was known as "The Iron Lady", no better than a fascist and throughout her time in power, was the very catalyst for many wrongdoings. My opinion may come across as biased but the atrocities that these young men faced in the fight for freedom is abhorrent. What this film has in it's ultimate favour though, is that it doesn't preach. It states the facts and for this, McQueen deserves the utmost credit and respect. Despite the grim material, we are afforded moments of artistic beauty; McQueen lingers long on shots and uses dialogue sparsely. At one point though, he film's a highly impressive 20-minute conversation about semantics and political rhetoric and does it without cuts. It's a bold move that could stop the film in it's tracks but actually, what it does, is reinforce the belief that this is a highly artistic and confident filmmaker you are witnessing. He even takes his time (about half an hour) to introduce our protagonist Bobby Sands and it's here, he is aided immeasurably by his lead actor; Michael Fassbender's transformation from a passionate healthy prisoner to one of starved frailty is astonishing and it's easy to see why he made a name for himself after this. He truly is one of the very best and bravest actors around at present. Rarely have political drama's been so raw, unnerving and emotionally devastating. This is by no means easy viewing but it's certainly important and essential viewing and it heralded the arrival of a visionary director and intense performer. McQueen manages that rare achievement of delivering a piece of work that is both brutal and harsh yet touching and quite beautiful. This is raw and unflinching material that is told candidly and without reservation. Simply stunning.

• Emil K

  
  With his debut film director/co-writer Steve McQueen has made dour and awfully dull film that clearly is aiming to be something important and artistic, but succeeds only in being a complete waste of time. I truly cannot stand these kind of films that obviously only tries to impress… More
  With his debut film director/co-writer Steve McQueen has made dour and awfully dull film that clearly is aiming to be something important and artistic, but succeeds only in being a complete waste of time. I truly cannot stand these kind of films that obviously only tries to impress with their art house aesthetics. With Hunger McQueen clearly tries too hard and fails to make anyhting original or even remotely interesting out of his story. For it's whole running time this film just stands still like a frozen statue and goes nowhere. Should we admire it? Certainly, because it is supposed to be art. Every image here almost screams "look at me, i am art!". Best films can be entertaining and still don't lose their visual mastery. "Art-film" is a term that should not exist. There are so many films out there and everyone of them has certain amounts of art in them. Is it the way it is shot, the production design, music, editing or acting, it does not actually matter at all. Most of them still have creativity in them anyway. Hunger is worst/best kind of example of a film that so badly wants to be called art while in the end it is just dull drama about hunger strike.

• Kase V

  
  Steve McQueen powers his artistry through great actors and amazing shots in his debut 'Hunger'. Proving he is a director to watch for, McQueen proves that the right cinematography can say more than words ever can. Fassbender also gives a superb performance, worthy of anyones… More
  Steve McQueen powers his artistry through great actors and amazing shots in his debut 'Hunger'. Proving he is a director to watch for, McQueen proves that the right cinematography can say more than words ever can. Fassbender also gives a superb performance, worthy of anyones praise. Some may find the lack of dialogue as a negative entertainment-wise, but McQueen more than makes up for it in the end. If you can swallow some disturbing subject matter, 'Hunger' will remind you how powerful a gilm can be.

• Al S

  
  Director, Steve McQueen crafts an astonishing and disturbing directional debut. A superb and brutal cinematic statement that is a must see. A no-holds barred drama on abuse that shakes you and pulls no punches. It`s a gritty, real, intense, mature and powerful work of art. A… More
  Director, Steve McQueen crafts an astonishing and disturbing directional debut. A superb and brutal cinematic statement that is a must see. A no-holds barred drama on abuse that shakes you and pulls no punches. It`s a gritty, real, intense, mature and powerful work of art. A masterpeice. A jaw-dropping and utterly haunting movie that hits you like you wouldnt believe. A shocking and also beautiful piece of film. An emotionally devestating and gut-wrenching experiance. Michael Fassbender gives an extroadinary performance, its a breakthrough for him. A real deal tour de force performance that is truly unforgettable. Fassbender embodies that characters heart and mind as well as the pyhsical tormant. Liam Cunningham is brilliant. A triumph for both the director (McQueen) and star (Fassbender), who i believe will have a promising future. It`s one of the most intense and eye-opening films i have ever seen.

• Carlos M

  
  Steve McQueen's debut is gripping and intense, and he displays a lot of control for a first film, creating some amazing long shots. A disturbing story showing all the horrific impact of a hunger strike, though I don't like how the plot is suddenly deviated from Davey Gillen… More
  Steve McQueen's debut is gripping and intense, and he displays a lot of control for a first film, creating some amazing long shots. A disturbing story showing all the horrific impact of a hunger strike, though I don't like how the plot is suddenly deviated from Davey Gillen to Bobby Sands.

• paul o

  
  An explosive piece of cinema, Director Steve Mcqueen brings out the rawness of Michael Fassbender. Truly something beautiful and committing for the cast of the film

• Emily A

  
  I really don't see what all the fuss was about. Most people call it intense, but a brutal film can only be intense if we first care about the people in the pressure cooker. And I for one don't. I found this movie really indulgent, spending tons of time showing… More
  I really don't see what all the fuss was about. Most people call it intense, but a brutal film can only be intense if we first care about the people in the pressure cooker. And I for one don't. I found this movie really indulgent, spending tons of time showing inconsequential things for vast stretches of time and very seldom actually allowing you to connect with any of the characters. It was half an hour before we even see Bobby or hear his voice. Why do we need to see five minutes of a guard brushing waste down a hallway? Why are we spending so much time watching these nameless Irish guys wallow in filth? Why do we care about them? The only scene worth watching is the twenty-five minutes Bobby spends speaking to the parish priest he's known all his life. That's the only time we get to really see him or connect with him. The scene itself is very powerful and raw, but if it weren't in the film at all, all this would be is be sad footage of obstinate, brutalized prisoners, one in particular, that lead a miserable existence before they wither away and die. This is a borderline torture porn snuff film. I really have no problem with that for the most part, as long as what I'm watching allows me to relate or sympathize with the characters suffering. Looking back, I can't think of a single reason to recommend this movie to anyone else. Watch the suffering of a bunch of people you don't care about! Does that fill you with the desire to run out and rent this?

• Reid V

  
  A powerful and stirring debut film. An exquisite exercise in atmosphere. Fassbender's dedication is stunning. While I would have liked to know more about what made Bobby Sands do the things that he did rather than just seeing his final days, I cannot fault the film too much.… More
  A powerful and stirring debut film. An exquisite exercise in atmosphere. Fassbender's dedication is stunning. While I would have liked to know more about what made Bobby Sands do the things that he did rather than just seeing his final days, I cannot fault the film too much. I'm excited to see where McQueen goes from here. I have a feeling he will become a very heavy hitter.

• Jan Marc M

  
  Hunger is a vivid and brilliant archetype of determination with a political purpose, chronicling the life of Bobby Sands, "leader of the 1981 hunger strike in which Irish republican prisoners protested against the removal of Special Category Status." Significant and… More
  Hunger is a vivid and brilliant archetype of determination with a political purpose, chronicling the life of Bobby Sands, "leader of the 1981 hunger strike in which Irish republican prisoners protested against the removal of Special Category Status." Significant and motivated, Hunger is a self-inflicted brutal proposal of the uncompromising human spirit underlined by a brilliant performance by Michael Fassbender.

• Steven C

  
  "Hunger" is a stunning achievement. What makes Steve McQueen's film so immediate is the way he delivers this powerful story (based on true events but is in no way a biography). McQueen reminds the viewer that 'battles' can be beautiful for what they symbolize,… More
  "Hunger" is a stunning achievement. What makes Steve McQueen's film so immediate is the way he delivers this powerful story (based on true events but is in no way a biography). McQueen reminds the viewer that 'battles' can be beautiful for what they symbolize, therefore the ugliest of images can still have an aesthetic resonance. I also appreciated that the film keeps an emotional distance from the characters. This cold approach is exactly correct because neither the government nor the inmates are acting in acceptable ways. It's in that no-answer dynamic where the films moral quandary lays- and where it's most important questions are asked by the viewer. Michael Fassbender is incredible here, as well as the rest of the cast. There is very little dialogue in this film (expect for the centerpiece debate between Bobby Sands and the priest- which is as wordy and complex as the films wordless and powerful beginning and ending). The images speak volumes and McQueen knows exactly how to deliver them- and keeps them in your brain. "Hunger" is an outstanding film about humanity and it's many sides.

• Michael S

  
  A fierce cinematic statement that pulls no punches. HUNGER is one of the great film debuts, telling a brutal human story with honesty and intensity while keeping an open and level-headed view about potentially touchy subject matter. Fassbender gives an astounding career best, highly… More
  A fierce cinematic statement that pulls no punches. HUNGER is one of the great film debuts, telling a brutal human story with honesty and intensity while keeping an open and level-headed view about potentially touchy subject matter. Fassbender gives an astounding career best, highly physical performance. Everything about this one is stellar. A must-see.

• Cassandra M

  
  #15: Hunger Video artist Steve McQueen?s first movie, the tale of IRA hunger striker Bobby Sands, was far more powerful than anyone had expected. With its unflinching portrayal of the squalid conditions in the Maze prison, Hunger is not an easy watch, but Michael Fassbender?s… More
  #15: Hunger Video artist Steve McQueen?s first movie, the tale of IRA hunger striker Bobby Sands, was far more powerful than anyone had expected. With its unflinching portrayal of the squalid conditions in the Maze prison, Hunger is not an easy watch, but Michael Fassbender?s ferociously committed performance deserves a wider audience. Best bit: The conversation between Sands and a priest, filmed in an astonishing, unbroken 17 minute take. The movie is a timely piece of film-making in this era of Abu Ghraib and Guantanamo Bay. I have to admit my prejudice for the film because of my past as one of the prisoners depicted in the film. Long Kesh - or the Maze as the British infamously renamed it - was the Abu Ghraib of its day. One stark difference though: unlike Abu Ghraib, no one has ever been charged with the horror and relentless torture inflicted upon naked, defenceless prisoners in Long Kesh. The film is uncompromising in its examination of the events leading up to and beyond the Hunger Strike. Michael Fassbender is frighteningly real. But I will leave it up to the words of Peter Bradshaw in the Guardian to sum it up: 'Hunger is raw, powerful film-making and an urgent reminder of this uniquely ugly, tragic and dysfunctional period in British and Irish history...'

• Jameson W

  
  Great! This is an extremely difficult film to watch. It's so realistic to how the prisoners were probably treated. The brutality of the beatings almost makes you want to turn your head, but the scenes are so artfully portrayed that the audience is still taken in! The… More
  Great! This is an extremely difficult film to watch. It's so realistic to how the prisoners were probably treated. The brutality of the beatings almost makes you want to turn your head, but the scenes are so artfully portrayed that the audience is still taken in! The cinematography also influences the realism of this film. The scenery and appearance of the film is brilliant. I also love the tone of this film; it's so dark, tragic, and real. Also the performances are great all around, especially Michael Fassbender as Bobby Sands. The thing that really holds this film back is the lack of emotion. To me, most of the film was flat emotion wise. The story and tone were both deep and very strong, but when there's no emotion, the whole film cannot soar. It's sad that the characters weren't developed more because this film could have been monumental, but instead it's only great. However there are one scene that I absolutely loved. The scene with prisoners being beaten on one side of the screen and a guard crying on the other side, is a brilliant shot. A beautiful scene. Had this film been as emotional and touching as that scene, this film could have been something special! I still think this is a movie everyone should check out. It's very good! I recommend it to everyone!

• familiar s

  
  Really tragic, I feel very sorry. No, not for Bobby Sands, but for myself for suffering the torture of this tedious 90-something minutes movie. The movie moved so slow that I literally had to push it (by fast-forwarding) to go ahead!!! I'm one of those dumb-heads who neither… More
  Really tragic, I feel very sorry. No, not for Bobby Sands, but for myself for suffering the torture of this tedious 90-something minutes movie. The movie moved so slow that I literally had to push it (by fast-forwarding) to go ahead!!! I'm one of those dumb-heads who neither appreciates nor feels any uneasiness or any such effect, except boredom, by the long silence between the scenes, and the camera concentrating on one single face for long to create some extra-ordinary effect. If you're an intellectual, you might want to give it a go; there are even chances that you'll very much like it.

• Lady D

  
  So realistic it almost stands still in pace at times and whilst it's first half does move along at a slow rate, it's certainly worth bearing with for the what's to come in the second half. Fantastic acting, a true gritty prison Drama, based on the true story of the… More
  So realistic it almost stands still in pace at times and whilst it's first half does move along at a slow rate, it's certainly worth bearing with for the what's to come in the second half. Fantastic acting, a true gritty prison Drama, based on the true story of the prisoners on hunger strike in the 80's . The end result is a big reminder of a character in another well known film in terms of appearance, but will let you work that one out yourselves.

• Dan S

  
  An engrossing, searing true story based on Bobby Sands (Michael Fassbender), a prisoner in 1980's Ireland who demanded he and his IRA inmates be given special status (as political prisoners - not criminals), and until they were he decided to go on hunger strike. This movie would… More
  An engrossing, searing true story based on Bobby Sands (Michael Fassbender), a prisoner in 1980's Ireland who demanded he and his IRA inmates be given special status (as political prisoners - not criminals), and until they were he decided to go on hunger strike. This movie would be nothing if not for Michael Fassbender's moving, hypnotizing performance as Sands, as his convicting turn proves to be the driving force behind this mostly remarkable film. Fassbender's appearance is downright terrifying, and his dedication to this role and to this movie's message are ultimately what makes this film so mesmerizing (the shape his body is in for this movie is even more shocking than Christian Bale's in "The Machinist" - something I didn't think could ever be toppled). While some argue this story is a bit pretentious (and there are some shots that could definitely be cut), this film is absolutely astounding in virtually every aspect. How it didn't get nominated for Best Picture and Fassbender for Best Actor is beyond me - it's a great achievement that will leave one floored, particularly at its haunting, distressing conclusion.

• Jake .

  
  Well, here's a film that has truly left me speechless. First, because the film really is incredibly. Second, I watched it a couple weeks ago and am struggling to think of what seemed important when watching it. Hunger is definitely an 'art' film, and I think that it… More
  Well, here's a film that has truly left me speechless. First, because the film really is incredibly. Second, I watched it a couple weeks ago and am struggling to think of what seemed important when watching it. Hunger is definitely an 'art' film, and I think that it really the main things that causes the film to be so affecting and noteworthy. Like everybody else has already said it is an disturbing film of incredible beauty. The only thing that kept this movie from being absolutely perfect in my mind is that Hunger really is a bit busy. I cannot totally figure out why the whole documentary/historical elements are thrown in. I guess, I just think that everybody would know the general context of the film before watching it. The scenes that seem to exist for the purpose of explainng the situation are the only weak moments in the entire film. Damn, the rest is amazing, though. Like Tom Ford's A Single Man the film can almost be split into a serious of single shots, each incredibly affecting pieces of beauty of brutality. McQueen is able to use image, sound, etc to get the viewers attention, grasp their emotions, convey his meaning. He does not need dialog or a 'plot', really. I just felt that Hunger is artistry to the very greatest degree. A wonderful, wonderful film that while not completely perfect, should not be ignored.

Read all 20 featured audience ratings