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Hunger

Play trailer 1:33 Poster for Hunger Released Mar 20, 2009 1h 32m Drama History Play Trailer Watchlist
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90% Tomatometer 133 Reviews 83% Popcornmeter 50,000+ Ratings
Focusing on the 1981 hunger strikes by Republican prisoners in Northern Ireland. Bobby Sands is one of a group of prisoners who first "took to the blanket" with a "dirty protest" in pursuit of their claims for recognition as political prisoners. Sands then became the first one of the group to embark on a hunger strike that was to end in his death.
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Hunger

Hunger

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Critics Consensus

Unflinching, uncompromising, vivid and vital, Steve McQueen's challenging debut is not for the faint hearted, but it's still a richly rewarding retelling of troubled times.

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Critics Reviews

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Keith Uhlich Time Out McQueen seems too enamored of his shorthand art-house symbolism for [the film] to truly resonate. Rated: 3/6 Jul 25, 2020 Full Review Matt Singer The Rumpus There is very little context, because on the inside, prison has no context. There is just horror. And maybe, sometimes, in the least expected places, beauty. Sep 18, 2017 Full Review Ryan Gilbey New Statesman The stylistic palette of McQueen's picture, and its grasp of cinematic vocabulary, elevate the film to a purely visceral realm, so that it seems to bypass your eyes and ears and go straight for your nerve endings. Nov 2, 2015 Full Review Brian Eggert Deep Focus Review [Fassbender's] performance is a small sensation. Rated: 4/4 Aug 15, 2023 Full Review Fico Cangiano CineXpress Podcast Michael Fassbender is phenomenal in Steve McQueen's impressive and captivating feature debut. [Full review in Spanish] Rated: 3.5/5 May 14, 2022 Full Review Tom Cassidy Common Sense Media It's a breathtaking piece of filming born out of a story riddled with violence, gore, maggots, and human waste. Rated: 5/5 Jan 5, 2022 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Richard T A shame there wasn't much context provided, just the subjective and relentless experiences of horror, then slow but undeniable self-destruction as the last free act of someone whose every other freedom has been taken away. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 06/22/25 Full Review Faiz D Hunger is not an easy film to watch but it is a great film featuring a brave debut from a director and a powerhouse of an actor. It certainly succeeds on an artistic level as the cinematography is astonishing. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 05/13/25 Full Review Mark R An incredible piece. An insight into an extremely dark, troubled and violent part of our history. Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 01/27/25 Full Review S R Saw it since it was on the SnS22 and BBF list and I was hoping that Fassbender would make it more promising. However, I was let down by the painful portrayal of the IRA's prison movement that was meant to be that way, but then I felt it lessened its potential impact and audience. Despite the one long scene of dialogue between him and the Priest, this movie was a chore. SLC library DVD. Rated 2 out of 5 stars 01/27/25 Full Review Jeffrey P Not much reason for anyone with an outsider perspective to care about any aspect of this or to sympathize or empathize with anyone in it. I thought it was a mess with no flow other than the shock and awe of brutality and morbidity. Smart squeegee scene though, completing the transition from disgusting prison brutality to disgusting hospital morbidity, I guess that's why it got all the high reviews. Rated 2 out of 5 stars 03/25/24 Full Review Na I'm patient when it comes to slow movies but this was just terrible. The positive reviews don't make sense, even as an ‘art piece' this was a just bad movie Very little dialogue, plot, not visually appealing, not much of a soundtrack, it just seemed like a lazy job from the writer to the director. The actors were good though. The editor was fine. Rated 1 out of 5 stars 07/31/23 Full Review Read all reviews
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Cast & Crew

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Steve McQueen

Director

Michael Fassbender

Bobby Sands

Liam Cunningham

Father Moran

Stuart Graham

Ray Lohan

Brian Milligan

Davey Gillen

Liam McMahon

Gerry Campbell

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Hunger

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Movie Info

Synopsis Focusing on the 1981 hunger strikes by Republican prisoners in Northern Ireland. Bobby Sands is one of a group of prisoners who first "took to the blanket" with a "dirty protest" in pursuit of their claims for recognition as political prisoners. Sands then became the first one of the group to embark on a hunger strike that was to end in his death.
Director
Steve McQueen
Screenwriter
Steve McQueen, Enda Walsh
Distributor
IFC Films
Production Co
Film 4, Broadcasting Commission of Ireland, Northern Ireland Screen
Genre
Drama, History
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Mar 20, 2009, Limited
Release Date (Streaming)
Sep 27, 2016
Box Office (Gross USA)
$154.1K
Runtime
1h 32m