'71 – reviews of 'riveting' Belfast survival thriller

What you need to know

Historical action thriller '71 opens in UK cinemas today. It's a feature debut for TV director Yann Demange (Top Boy) written by Gregory Burke (Black Watch).

Jack O'Connell (Starred Up, Skins) stars as new British Army recruit Gary Hook who becomes separated from his unit during a riot in Belfast at the height of the Troubles in 1971. Lost on a hostile estate, he must try to get back to barracks before he is discovered by the IRA.

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What the critics like

This is "a tense, gripping thriller that combines real-world relevance with high-concept entertainment", says Nev Pierce in Empire. In a superb ensemble, O'Connell is outstanding, giving a performance that's wonderfully watchable.

It's a "stunningly well-crafted survival thriller" combining stark realism with a bold sensory plunge into a Hadean inferno, says Tim Robey in the Daily Telegraph. Demange heightens the power with experiential wizardry that has us dreading what's around every corner.

Demange's "riveting thriller" is dense with anxiety, but also sharp jolts and surprises from all sides, says Siobhan Synnot in The Scotsman. It's an impressive first feature from Demange that also confirms O'Connell as British star.

What they don't like

The film that holds you in a vice-like grip throughout, "only wavering towards the end with a faintly preposterous climactic shootout", says Andrew Pulver in The Guardian. O'Connell is dourly persuasive as the hapless, near-mute Hook, but inevitably he's a little overshadowed by the more colourful roles around him.