The Riot Club
At Oxford, two aristocratic students are pulled into an elite drinking society whose rituals expose the violence beneath inherited privilege.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Brisk
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Moderate
- darkly comic
- confrontational
- satirical
- political discussion night
- social satire marathon
What critics said
Critics broadly found the film powerful in its indictment of unearned privilege, though unsubtle and uneven in execution.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
The Riot Club is built around wealthy Oxford students who believe money and institutional loyalty place them above ordinary consequences.
The club members collectively decide to protect the organization by sacrificing Miles after Alistair assaults the pub landlord.
The annual dinner escalates from drinking and hired sexual entertainment into drug use, property destruction, and violent abuse.
Miles enters the Riot Club alongside Alistair but increasingly rejects its behavior, especially when the group targets him and the landlord.
Films like The Riot Club, and why
The Talented Mr. Ripley
shares a darkly comic critique of entrenched privilege, elite social institutions, and moral corruption
Saltburn
shares an intense university setting, class anxiety, sexual transgression, and escalating psychological menace
The Square
shares a caustic ensemble drama exposing wealth, social hierarchy, and destructive entitlement
Movie Details
- Director
- Lone Scherfig
- Release Date
- 2014-09-19
- Runtime
- 107 min
- Rating
- 5.9 / 10 (1030)
Cast
- Max Irons
- Sam Claflin
- Douglas Booth
- Holliday Grainger
- Jessica Brown Findlay
- Natalie Dormer
- Sam Reid
- Tom Hollander
- Freddie Fox
- Gordon Brown
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- Philo, AMC Plus Apple TV channel, AMC+ Amazon Channel, AMC+ Roku Premium Channel, AMC+, Sundance Now, IFC Films Unlimited Apple TV channel
- Rent
- Apple TV Store
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is The Riot Club about?
- At Oxford, two aristocratic students are pulled into an elite drinking society whose rituals expose the violence beneath inherited privilege.
- What is The Riot Club like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of The Riot Club as brisk, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.
- Is The Riot Club violent?
- Somewhat. Ember rates the violence in The Riot Club as moderate.
- What did critics think of The Riot Club?
- Critics broadly found the film powerful in its indictment of unearned privilege, though unsubtle and uneven in execution.
- Which films are like The Riot Club?
- Films with a similar feel include The Talented Mr. Ripley, Saltburn, and The Square.
- How long is The Riot Club?
- The Riot Club runs 107 minutes.
- Where can I watch The Riot Club?
- In United States, The Riot Club streams on Philo, AMC Plus Apple TV channel, AMC+ Amazon Channel, AMC+ Roku Premium Channel, AMC+, Sundance Now, IFC Films Unlimited Apple TV channel.
