My Review of Wasteman (2026)

 

Written by Hunter Andrews And Eoin Doran

Directed by Cal McMau

Taylor: "I just want to see my boy again."

Last year I caught up with Starred Up, which I really enjoyed as a movie. I wanted to venture into another British prison themed movie and this recently came to my attention. I've also watched both leads in other things over the last few months.

First of all, there's David Jonsson. He's playing a man named Taylor, who's about to be paroled. Taylor's also got a fourteen year old son named Adam that he's never met. On top of that, Taylor's a drug addict who gets his stash from the likes of Gaz (Corin Silva) and Paul (Alex Hassell).

I should mention that Taylor's a barber too and seemingly the only one in the prison. That's relevant later in the movie as his new cellmate Dee (Tom Blyth) would want him to utilise those talents to take out the competition. Dee's the main problem here for everyone.

He's a problem for Gaz and Paul as Dee was muscling in on their drug trade. Dee suffered the consequences of trying to be the top dealer of the prison. Dee being beaten up also meant that Taylor bore the brunt of his attempts to take over the drug trade. Of course Dee also had to threaten Adam to get Taylor in line.

Throughout the movie, Taylor's a man that's been constantly pushed around and it made sense that his former partner didn't want him anywhere near Adam. I did think he was going to kill Gaz and Paul in order to protect his estranged son. The fact that he went for Dee instead was better.

Dee's not a remotely sympathetic character. There's no nuance or attempts to explain why he's the way he is. He did work well as an antagonist with Tom Blyth serving as a perfect counter to David Jonsson's more earnest Taylor. There's also something suitably karmic about Dee's ultimate comeuppance.

- The film got a BAFTA nomination for Outstanding Debut by a British Writer, Director, or Producer.

- This movie was the director debut for Cal McMau. 

- Standout music: Jamie XX's Kill Dem and A Guy Called Gerald's Voodoo Ray.

- Chronology: Taylor spent thirteen years in prison before getting his early release.

Wasteman (2026) was a movie that really relied on both David Jonsson and Tom Blyth to deliver, performance wise. Both of them easily did that. It's a strong, gritty enough prison drama and a promising debut from Cal McMau.

Rating: 7 out of 10