Wasteman

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Wasteman

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1h 30m

Crime

Drama

Mystery & Thriller

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44 Reviews

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Fewer than 50 Ratings

Taylor is branded a "wasteman" by society, his family and in prison. In a world of parties, gangs and violence, he's managed to keep out of trouble. However, with the arrival of chaotic cellmate Dee, the chance to make early parole and get his life back are put in jeopardy.

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Critics Consensus

A prison picture with a terrific pair of lead performances by David Jonsson and Tom Blyth, Wasteman is harrowing, superbly acted across the board, and revealing about the incentives for violence in the correctional system.

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Matt Zoller Seitz

RogerEbert.com

Apr 17

3.5/4

It's a genre piece with tragic weight.

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Randy Myers

San Jose Mercury News

Apr 15

3/4

Through the jangly use of cellphone cameras capturing violence on the cellblock and a winnowed down running time, “Wasteman” doesn’t waste one second of a film time. It certainly has a surplus of talent in front of and behind the camera.

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Marshall Shaffer

Slant Magazine

Apr 15

3/4

Cal McMau’s Wasteman illustrates why a powerful paradox about prisons makes them such a popular staging ground for psychodramas.

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Nadine Whitney

AWFJ.org

3d

Wasteman is a brutal and brilliant dissection of the corrections system and the inevitability of violence in a place where no one is interested in rehabilitation. A stunning piece of British cinema.

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Stefan Pape

Common Sense Media

4d

4/5

This is a brilliant but excruciating piece of contemporary British filmmaking and one that rarely lets up.

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Alan Zilberman

Spectrum Culture

5d

3.5/5

The new British prison thriller Wasteman quickly establishes something vital about how convicts fight for whatever advantage and dignity they can.

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Lucas H

@RT19546852 4d

Great movie very unpredictable ending

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Wendy W

6d

Taut, tense, and brilliantly acted by both David Jonsson and Tom Blyth.

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Philip G

@RT01722376 6d

Wow. The tension was palpable. A sense of dread over me throughout the film.

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nilufer E

@Nilicim Apr 18

A prison drama that somehow lacks tension, grit, and emotional pull. Wasteman should’ve been right up my alley, but it ends up feeling hollow and forgettable.

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Dale R

@Dalezie Apr 18

I doubt that this very violent and unsettling film will have mainstream appeal, but I appreciate that people make these kinds of movies. For me, the film had an underlying message to highlight the perils of addiction and the suffering inherent in overcoming it. The oppressive feeling running throughout the movie kept me gripped and the unpredictable climax was memorable long after the credits rolled. The pulsating soundtrack is also very fitting.

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Stephen C

@bob25009 Apr 17

The worldwide gross is $1,191,721.00.

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Cal McMau

Director

David Jonsson

Taylor

Tom Blyth

Dee

Alex Hassell

Paul

Corin Silva

Gaz

Paul Hilton

Browning

Wasteman: Trailer 1

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Synopsis

Taylor is branded a "wasteman" by society, his family and in prison. In a world of parties, gangs and violence, he's managed to keep out of trouble. However, with the arrival of chaotic cellmate Dee, the chance to make early parole and get his life back are put in jeopardy.

Director: Cal McMau
Producer: Sophia Gibber, Myles Payne
Screenwriter: Hunter Andrews, Eoin Doran, Hunter Andrews, Eoin Doran
Distributor: Vertigo Releasing / Sunrise Films
Production Co: Agile Films
Genre: Crime, Drama, Mystery & Thriller
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Apr 17, 2026, Limited
Runtime: 1h 30m