High-Rise

Name: High-Rise
Genre: Action, Sci-Fi, Drama, Thriller
Released: May 13, 2016
Duration: 119 min
Rating: 65
Cast: Jeremy Irons, Luke Evans, Sienna Miller, Tom Hiddleston

2016

METASCORE

Generally favorable reviews based on 36 Critic Reviews

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USER SCORE

Mixed or average reviews based on 102 Ratings

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5.1	User Score Mixed or average reviews based on 102 Ratings

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High-Rise (US)

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Movie Details & Credits

Magnolia Pictures | Release Date: May 13, 2016 | Not Rated

Starring: Jeremy Irons, Luke Evans, Sienna Miller, Tom Hiddleston

Summary: Dr. Robert Laing (Tom Hiddleston) is the newest resident of a luxurious apartment in a high-tech concrete skyscraper whose lofty location places him amongst the upper class. Laing quickly settles into high society life and meets the building’s eccentric tenants: Charlotte (Sienna Miller), his upstairs neighbor and bohemian single mother;Dr. Robert Laing (Tom Hiddleston) is the newest resident of a luxurious apartment in a high-tech concrete skyscraper whose lofty location places him amongst the upper class. Laing quickly settles into high society life and meets the building’s eccentric tenants: Charlotte (Sienna Miller), his upstairs neighbor and bohemian single mother; Wilder (Luke Evans), a charismatic documentarian who lives with his pregnant wife Helen (Elisabeth Moss); and Mr. Royal (Jeremy Irons), the enigmatic architect who designed the building. Life seems like paradise to the solitude-seeking Laing. But as power outages become more frequent and building flaws emerge, particularly on the lower floors, the regimented social strata begins to crumble and the building becomes a battlefield in a literal class war.… Expand

Director: Ben Wheatley

Genre(s): Action, Sci-Fi, Drama, Thriller

Rating: Not Rated

Runtime: 119 min

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Critic Reviews

100

Barry Hertz

May 19, 2016

Like Wheatley’s 2011 film "Kill List," High-Rise switches genres effortlessly – black humour one moment, dystopic parable the next – until it becomes its own singular, horrifying, immensely captivating thing. Read full review

Sam Fragoso

Apr 28, 2016

There’s a sadistic streak in High-Rise that’s simultaneously hypnotizing and unnerving. If there’s a morality to Wheatley’s world, it’s nebulous at best. Read full review

Kevin Harley

Mar 16, 2016

Wheatley, Jump, Hiddleston and co occupy Ballard’s towering inferno with brazen style. If the plot wobbles precipitously, chalk it up to the high-rise ambition of a genuinely wayward Brit-film one-off. Read full review

Sara Stewart

May 13, 2016

Director Ben Wheatley (“Kill List”) is masterful with arresting imagery set in a dystopian spin on the ’70s; less so with a compelling narrative. Read full review

Joshua Rothkopf

Sep 16, 2015

The movie ultimately feels both too glib and too hermetically sealed to resonate beyond its chaotic interiors. Read full review

A.O. Scott

May 12, 2016

The retro-futurist production design is gorgeously awful, the cast is awfully gorgeous, and the dystopian setting is explored with an appropriately Ballardian blend of suavity and aggression. But onscreen, High-Rise is curiously inert. The themes don’t resonate, and the story lags and lumbers. Read full review

Rex Reed

May 11, 2016

A trash wallow in sex, nudity, violence, cruelty to animals and the skewering of contemporary society, it will predictably appeal to kids and art house patrons who crave the cinematic roller coaster rides of outrage and chaos that lead to downright anarchy. Saner, more rational minds are advised to look elsewhere. Read full review

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User Reviews

TrilobiteG

Jul 9, 2016

High-Rise is an encapsulation of everything **** insane about human hierarchy nature and is a certainly unique, well-shot and also well paced film with a lot of girth and brutality in it's message. You'll laugh, you'll cringe and you'll probably also have a lot of fun.

1 of 2 users found this helpful11

MOVIECRITIC315

Jul 12, 2016

High-Rise might be very confuzing for some people. Me my self was also confuzed at the beginning. It started making more sense in the second act in my opinion. I can compare this movie to Snowpeircer. this movie has a great cast with strong performance, well paced, beautifully shot, and isHigh-Rise might be very confuzing for some people. Me my self was also confuzed at the beginning. It started making more sense in the second act in my opinion. I can compare this movie to Snowpeircer. this movie has a great cast with strong performance, well paced, beautifully shot, and is quite funny. Overall i enjoyed High-Rise.… Expand

1 of 2 users found this helpful11

foxgrove

May 13, 2016

An intriguing and very stylish adaptation of J G Ballard’s book which unfortunately goes off the rails in the chaotic and confused second half. Not having read the novel I have zero idea of how well the film serves it. Nevertheless, despite much explicit sex and bloody violence the movieAn intriguing and very stylish adaptation of J G Ballard’s book which unfortunately goes off the rails in the chaotic and confused second half. Not having read the novel I have zero idea of how well the film serves it. Nevertheless, despite much explicit sex and bloody violence the movie doesn’t seem to go far enough in its depiction of class and social breakdown. It stops just short of an audience pleasing retribution for the upper classes who are here generally drawn as the nonchalant villains of the piece. The high rise itself strikes a menacing image externally, but once inside one loses any sense of geography as to the building’s layout. Its use as a metaphor for the woes of the populace at first instance seems a good one, but in actuality is less inclined towards capitalism, the film’s ultimate message, than it is towards communism. Ultimately, despite energetic direction and some inspired editing, the messy second half leaves one feeling let down by the promise initiated in the vibrant first hour.… Expand

1 of 1 users found this helpful10

JLuis_001

Feb 6, 2018

High-Rise is an adaptation of the novel by J.G. Ballard of the same name released in 1975. The novel was a social critic of the times, but it certainly applies in any situation today.

The problem with the film is that it starts well and settled its foundations in a good way however it doesHigh-Rise is an adaptation of the novel by J.G. Ballard of the same name released in 1975. The novel was a social critic of the times, but it certainly applies in any situation today.

The problem with the film is that it starts well and settled its foundations in a good way however it does not take long for the incoherence to enter the narrative and everything becomes a showcase of violence and anarchy destroying in the last 40 minutes any type of sequence narrative.

I have no doubt that it could be said that the film will be for experimental tastes or those with interests for such chaotic creative visions, but personally High-Res is too disconnected and I do not like it at all.

Applause for the production designer who conceived an interesting world in small spaces of the building to recreate the necessary, I would not say that it's a minimalist style but aesthetics comes close to it.
The costume design also pleased me by giving an interesting seventies vibe to the actors, while Clint Mansell's score is not that spectacular but he always adds that extra to the scenes.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

mixed-upMind

Jun 23, 2020

Oh boy. This movie took a fast dive into anarchy without much of a shove or even a apocalyptic banana to slip from. Story wass all primed for drama and meaning while the film got me instantly curious then the director farted all over each scene. No actor should be put through what TomOh boy. This movie took a fast dive into anarchy without much of a shove or even a apocalyptic banana to slip from. Story wass all primed for drama and meaning while the film got me instantly curious then the director farted all over each scene. No actor should be put through what Tom Hiddleston (A great actor like Irons) should have put up with. it's a 4 star out of 10...… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

Ralfbergs

Aug 17, 2016

At first this movie seemed quite interesting, unpredictable and you really wanted to know what will happen, but eventually it became quite chaotic, a bit hard to understand (had to check wikipedia page for it to understand what the plot meant) and I think the ending, even though I felt itAt first this movie seemed quite interesting, unpredictable and you really wanted to know what will happen, but eventually it became quite chaotic, a bit hard to understand (had to check wikipedia page for it to understand what the plot meant) and I think the ending, even though I felt it will be a bit weird kind of twist like in mindf**k movies, here it felt a bit forced and didn't fit in well in the movie. Of course you can guess that movie is about the class hierarchy and how wrong it is in real life and tries to depict it, but for me it needed to be more understandable, ok maybe if I would have read the book or something which it is based on, but without it, the average joe can't follow it that well. And maybe some people who are into these artsy movies will really enjoy it, but as for me, when I want something relaxing, entertaining which I can enjoy without feeling confused all the time, I prefer something else then.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

Silvercritic

May 21, 2016

This movie was garbage. it had an interesting premise, but it was poorly executed. The plot was poorly developed. I am sorry I wasted time and money to see it.

0 of 2 users found this helpful02

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