Hunger

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Hunger

Released Mar 20, 2009

1h 32m

Drama

History

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

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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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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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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Steve McQueen

Director

Michael Fassbender

Bobby Sands

Liam Cunningham

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Hunger: Trailer 1

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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