Oh, but how wrong I was. The film's second act takes us into the very meat of the story, as the key group of students known as the "The Riot Club" go to a country pub for their termly dinner. It's where the story's stage-like origins become apparent, as much of the film is spent hyping this event up as the very height of debauchery, an event which has gotten them banned from almost all the restaurants in the local area. When the schoolboys turn up to the country pub in their tailor-made uniforms it's comical, as it is when their rendition of "God Save the Queen" prompts other pub goers to unexpectedly join in. But as the shots are consumed as the evening wears on, events begin to take a dark turn. I'm not sure when the audience I was with stopped laughing at the schoolboy banter, but I'm sure it was around the point where Natalie Dormer’s high-end prostitute is treated with disdain for not performing an offensive sex act, or when the boys decide to torment Miles' (Max Irons) Northern girlfriend (Holliday Grainger), which borders dangerously close to rape.
The main cast is good, and I'd imagine, much like the youngsters of The History Boys, they’re destined for great things. Douglas Booth makes the biggest impression as unpleasant womaniser Harry, but Irons is good in the main role, and Sam Claflin proves he's far more than a Hunger Games heartthrob as complete bounder Alistair, who somehow managed to make shouting "I'm sick to death of the poor" convincing.
If nothing else, it's an effective parable on the notion of being a passive observer. Miles soon begins to realise what he's landed himself in but refuses to intervene, even when his girlfriend is threatened. He eventually realises his mistake when things become violent, but even then he is accused of wanting to participate in the coolest group on campus and that, by doing nothing, he is equally responsible, which he struggles to deny.
I think the film wants to be more than that, though, since the story is based on the real-life Bullingdon Club, whose former participants include David Cameron, George Osborne, and Boris Johnson, and the inclusion of Tom Hollander as an MP who condones the group's behaviour is perhaps a touch too far. His portrayal seems to imply that the major members of government are part of a secret underground society, the Fight Club of Westminster, and while that might not be very far from the truth I think it's more likely that some students just want to cause chaos on a night out, typically while very, very drunk. I'm not sure I can imagine George Osbourne beating a bartender senseless. But I do think the film succeeds at sending up the privileged upper class, who think they're untouchable, and I think it succeeds as a solid, cinematic adaptation of a play.
★★★½
