The Riot Club - review

The Riot Club, as explained in a 16th Century prologue, is a club set up to celebrate the life of Lord Riot, a student at Oxford University, who lived life to such a success that it got him killed. Formed by his friends, and passed down through the generations, each year ten students take part in all sorts of bad behaviour and partying that culminates in an annual dinner where anything goes and normally does before they pay for the damage and waltz off into the sunset.

This particular year however, things take a particularly dark turn when events spiral out of control leaving the Club in a hold that their money, privilege and connections might not be able to dig them out of when they attack an innkeeper who wants to throw them out when they wreck the joint.

The performances are all first class and the really, really, really ridiculously good looking young Brits completely convince as a group of posh tossers.

Hmmmm, a group of posh, rich, self-entitled (probable Tory voting) Englishmen using their wealth, power and influence to beat a Scot into submission.

Sound like anything that happened recently?

Well without any further comment, let me just leave this picture of the Bullingdon Club which is apparently the inspiration for the film and play (called Posh) on which it is based.

However the most shocking thing about The Riot Club is not the money or the excessive drinking and partying. It is actually a conversation between new member Miles and his Fresher girlfriend Lauren.

He remarks that he was named after Miles Davis because his parents were listening to the music when he was conceived. Lauren replays that it is lucky her parents didn't do the same because she would have probably been named after Gary Barlow!

Initially dismissed as rubbish, the horrifying fact is that an 18 year-old Fresher would have actually been born in 1996 during the peak of Take That's success. It really makes you feel old.

The Riot Club, not helped by the trailer, starts off promising near Caligula-levels of debauchery but the end result is more akin to a season finale of Skins or Geordie Shore.

3 stars