TL;DR – A torrid and often shocking affair, but one you have trouble looking away from.

Post-Credit Scene – There is no post-credit scene.

Warning – Contains scenes that may cause distress.

Warning – Contains scenes with prolonged flashing lights.

Disclosure – I was invited to a press screening of this film

Saltburn Review –

There can be a multitude of emotions that can wash over you when the end credits roll. Disbelief, boredom, shock, sadness, horror, resignation, frustration, and even anger. However, never in my time reviewing films have I ever had this particular set of emotions permeating through my mind. A combination of revelation, horror, shock, and sheer amazement. It is this film that we explore today.

So to set the scene, it is 2006, and Oliver Quick (Barry Keoghan) has made it into Oxford, but he didn’t have wealthy parents. He got in on a scholarship, which immediately set him apart from everyone else there. He longs to be part of the group, and being friends with local heartthrob Felix Catton (Jacob Elordi) is the best way to do it. It is a tumultuous relationship, but when Oliver’s dad dies and he has nowhere to go over the summer, Felix invites him back to his family’s estate, Saltburn. A place where wealth is in excess and lives can be changed.  

The first thing I want to say about this film is how stunning the visuals are. Seriously, every shot is wonderful, oscillating from mysterious hiding in shadows to how the camera almost leers at some of the cast, lustful for what is happening. Much of this film can be found in shadows or at night, often leading to things looking dingy. However, every shadow feels intentional here, and every move into the light becomes revelational. This intentionality permeates the entire film and helps draw you in when you should be being pushed away.

The whole production of this film is a delight as it entices you in. There is a clever use of a musical soundtrack and needle drops to acclimatise you back to the mid-2000s. But it is also a lure because it is also there to highlight when there is no musical score to buffer you from what is on screen. The sound effects become amplified, and here we get the slurp that echoed through the cinema in a wave of shared embarrassment. Then there is the use of long takes, which are both there to bring you into this world, but also they are used to linger longer than we should. When other films have cut away, here we abide.

Then we get to the acting, and goodness to people throw their all into this film. Barry Keoghan is a revelation in this film, and that is coming from someone who has always loved his work, even in movies like The Killing of a Sacred Deer. He controls every moment on the screen with a commitment that uses every part of his body. Jacob Elordi is fascinating as the rich boy who thinks he’s doing the right thing but has the weight of his family’s money crushing his humanity. Rosamund Pike & Richard E. Grant are a delight as the “eccentric” parents that you believe truly in their hearts that they think they are good people. They are not good people.  

Finally, we come to the story and look, the less you know about going into this film, the better, but also, this film is so, well, as one person at my screening described it, ‘wicked’ that you might want to look up some of the themes before jumping in. I can confirm that this film is A LOT; numerous scenes escalated from awkward to ‘oh goodness, look away’ very quickly. Look, what I am saying is that maybe don’t go and see this with a family member that you want to look in the eyes afterwards. I will say that the film is trying to talk about a lot of topics around class, entitlement, sexuality, power, and control. While it dies engine with these topics, it did feel like it lacked depth in places, and the visual styling can only go so far to make up for that.  

In the end, do we recommend Saltburn? Well, that is a difficult thing to say. There is so much about this film that is fascinating to watch: the performances and the visuals. Heck, the sheer gumption of putting that final scene in there should be applauded. However, it is dealing with such extreme topics that I am not sure I could recommend this to most of the people I know. If you love this film, you will be captivated by it, but that will not be a lot of the population. If you liked Saltburn, I would recommend to you A Simple Favor.

By Brian MacNamara: You can follow Brian on Twitter Here, when he’s not chatting about Movies and TV, he’ll be talking about International Relations, or the Solar System.

Have you watched Saltburn?, let us know what you thought in the comments below, feel free to share this review on any of the social medias and you can follow us Here. Check out all our past reviews and articles Here, and have a happy day. 


Credits – All images were created by the cast, crew, and production companies of Saltburn
Directed by – Emerald Fennell
Written by – Emerald Fennell
Music by – Anthony Willis
Cinematography by – Linus Sandgren
Edited by – Victoria Boydell
Production/Distribution Companies – MGM, MRC, LuckyChap Entertainment, Lie Still Amazon MGM Studios Distribution, Universal Pictures & Warner Bros. Pictures.
Starring – Barry Keoghan, Jacob Elordi, Rosamund Pike, Richard E. Grant, Alison Oliver, Archie Madekwe, Carey Mulligan, Paul Rhys, Ewan Mitchell, Lolly Adefope, Sadie Soverall, Millie Kent & Reece Shearsmith
Rating – Australia: MA15+; Canada: 18; Germany: na; New Zealand: R; United Kingdom: na; United States: R