Overview
In a brutal world where survival is the only rule, a young inmate must navigate the treacherous waters of prison life.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Brutal
- claustrophobic
- harrowing
- grounded
- serious drama night
- social realism double feature
What critics said
Critics broadly praised the film as a gripping, uncompromising, and socially grounded prison drama.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Rune and Rashid must navigate prison factions divided along racial and ethnic lines.
Rune's survival depends on learning the ward's unwritten rules, honor system, and reciprocal obligations.
The hardcore prison ward and cells are presented through a stark, grounded social-realist style.
Rune's adjustment to prison life draws him into obligations and an accomplice relationship with Rashid.
Films like R, and why
A Prophet
shared prison setting, institutional power struggle, and grounded social realism
Starred Up
shared claustrophobic incarceration drama, shifting loyalties, and morally compromised protagonists
Scum
shared prison hierarchy, racial tension, and harsh realist drama
Movie Details
- Directors
- Tobias Lindholm, Michael Noer
- Release Date
- 2010-04-22
- Runtime
- 99 min
- Rating
- 6.8 / 10 (240)
Cast
- Pilou Asbæk
- Dulfi Al-Jabouri
- Roland Møller
- Jacob Gredsted
- Omar Shargawi
- Kim Winther
- Jorg Beutnagel
- Sune Nørgaard
- Claus Poulsen
- Helmuth Kristensen
Common questions
- What is R about?
- A cocky young inmate must master a brutal prison's unwritten code while an unlikely friendship crosses its racial divisions.
- What is R like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of R as measured, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.
- Is R violent?
- Yes. Ember rates the violence in R as brutal.
- What did critics think of R?
- Critics broadly praised the film as a gripping, uncompromising, and socially grounded prison drama.
- Which films are like R?
- Films with a similar feel include A Prophet, Starred Up, and Scum.
- How long is R?
- R runs 99 minutes.
