The Riot Club - DVD

Film: In the University of Oxford, the future elite is trained. Those with the right connections and the wherewithal are admittedly part of it before they even graduate. So are the members of the elite Riot Club, who naturally only pick out the best of the freshmen to include them in their conspiratorial circle. That this year's choice falls on Alistair (Sam Clafin) is hardly surprising, given the fact that his older brother was already a member. But the fact that Miles (Max Irons) is also allowed to become a member of the club is something the student, who comes from a rather humble background, would not have expected. Although his girlfriend Lauren (Holliday Grainger) can hardly sympathize with his new buddies, Miles enjoys finally belonging to the better circles. That he would have been better off trusting his girlfriend's intuition only becomes apparent at the club's traditional dinner, which this year ends in disaster. But by then it's too late for Miles...

With The Riot Club, Danish director Lone Scherfig has adapted the successful stage play Posh for the screen. Only the long sequence in the pub where the elitist community celebrates its annual chaos dinner still hints at the story's stage character. Otherwise, however, Scherfig has largely broken away from the original and has created a drama about class distinction and elitist dining societies that is laced with cynical humor. Playwright Laura Wade, who also penned the screenplay version of her play, was intrigued by the idea of immersing herself in the world of these clubs, where there is no place for women or for the less well-off without proper connections. The research proved difficult, as these clubs have strict codes that forbid members from giving interviews or talking about their club to outsiders in general.

Since her story wasn't going to be a documentary anyway, Wade took the liberty of letting her imagination run wild. The result at least feels like it could be true to reality - or at least very close to it. The attitude of the members of the Riot Club that their social standing makes them something better, that money and influence can buy them anything, and that they don't have to abide by rules and morals, is probably shared by most members of the real fraternities of this ilk. The film, which at some moments feels like an anti-version of Dead Poets Society, gets this across very well through biting humor, especially at the beginning.

The visual aesthetic and good actors also help make the story work very well in the film version. However, it loses a bit of steam and bite towards the end. The finale could have been a bit more vicious, even if the resolution Scherfig and Wade offer is probably very close to reality. Still, the film suffers badly in the last half hour from the emotional undercoolness that emanates not only from the members of the club. But even if not all aspects of the production are convincing, The Riot Club is, on balance, a thoroughly watchable and stirring drama that upsets, agitates and makes you think - and at the same time still entertains well for long stretches. For that, it gets a well-deserved: worth seeing!

Image + Sound: Since only a press stream was available for the test, no rating can be given here about the final picture and sound quality.

Extras: As a bonus, the DVD has, in addition to the trailer, a mini-featurette (about 3:33 min.), as well as some promotional interviews with the director and the actors (approx. 17 min.) to offer.

Conclusion: The Riot Club is a drama that succeeds over long stretches, whose humorous tone from the beginning must give way to bitter cynicism at the end. Well acted and engagingly staged, only the final act could have used a little more bite and viciousness. No rating can be given about the technical realization of the DVD. The extras consist primarily of standard promo material that doesn't really go into depth when looking at the filming or the story. However, the film itself is enough to give the DVD a clear recommend

An article by Frankfurt-Tipp