r/movies r/movies Contributor 23h ago

News Danny Boyle’s ‘Ink,’ Starring Jack O’Connell, Guy Pearce and Claire Foy, to Open Venice Film Festival

https://variety.com/2026/film/global/danny-boyle-ink-venice-film-festival-1236812367/
638 Upvotes

70 comments sorted by

77

u/MrSpindles 23h ago

I'll watch anything with Jack O'Connell starring, absolutely criminally underrated actor with incredible presence on screen.

That Danny Boyle fella's not too bad at his job either.

15

u/DoomguyFemboi 22h ago

Have you seen Starred Up ? It's incredible. Ever since I seen it I've been a massive fan of his, his acting in that is incredible. Also one of the most realistic prison movies ever done.

6

u/MrSpindles 22h ago

Somehow I have not. I love his work, but prison movies are usually a turn off for me. I'll check it out on your recommendation for sure.

6

u/DoomguyFemboi 21h ago

If you don't like prison films I'd probably skip it, as it's quite visceral and pulls no punches. Although if you're American it might be OK, as the UK prisons aren't as dystopian. However yeah it's still got some brutal scenes in it, but it's more like..flashes of intense violence interspersed through a tale of what it's like in prison, rather than a collection of violent scenes tied together in a tale about prison. It's a very character driven story.

1

u/Working-Ad-6698 12h ago

My favourite prison movie (with Wasteman) and I was impressed by his work in that film. Actually has happened few times with few other Jack O'Connell's roles, he is truly extraordinary actor

8

u/PartyOnAlec 18h ago

I didn't see his excellence until he played Paddy Fuckin Mayne. Holy shit that unlocked him for me. I think he got forced into kinda generic roles (I remember being annoyed by Unbroken) but the smart director really just lets him loose. Sinners was a terrific example of that. He was also excellent in Godless.

ninja edit: He's also excellent in '71

5

u/lotep 17h ago

After this year's dual baddie performances in Sinners and The Bone Temple he's entering God tier level for me, I'll second a recommendation for starred up which personally I found much more engaging than your average prison flick mostly because of the duel brilliant and emotional performances from O'Connell and Mendelson.

88

u/gwnner 23h ago

75 minute standing ovation?

99

u/Best-Advantage-1607 23h ago

“During the twelve day long standing ovation, three people collapsed from exhaustion. One died from a heart condition. And a child was born. The ovation is said to be the second longest standing ovation in the shows history. Danny Boyle had to continually be rehydrated as he was crying all twelve days.”

3

u/hobbesthecat 23h ago

:: Ross from Friends slow clap w lip bite

2

u/magungo 16h ago

I raise you Shia LaBeouf slow clapping in an empty theatre.

10

u/HenryDorsettCase47 23h ago

Damn. Did you check out some of the reviews?

"The only time the audience applauded was when I whipped a battery at the performers."

“True story. I fell asleep during the production and when I woke up was so convinced that I was still dreaming, I got up on stage and walked around. The odd thing is, the show is such an ugly mess, that no one seemed to notice or care.”

Wild stuff.

2

u/OrangeShark21 23h ago

I understood this reference.

2

u/riegspsych325 ⊃∪⊃⪽ 23h ago

I feel like it’s 30 Rock but I’m not so sure

5

u/OrangeShark21 22h ago

Close - its an underappreciated SNL sketch for a Robert Goulet play of "Red Ships of Spain"

2

u/ours 17h ago

So it was only average?

39

u/michicago44 23h ago

This seems like one of those plots that sounds unbelivably boring at face value but could actually be super interesting if done well (like Margin Call/The Big Short re: the mortgage crisis)

8

u/PreHeatedWig 22h ago

I thought the same about slumdog millionaire and that was amazing.

6

u/ftgyhujikolp 23h ago

It's Danny Boyle, so I'll see it. Even though I didn't like the direction of the 28 series writing in the most recent ones they were still top notch movies.

12

u/MrBigChest 22h ago

I’m a fan of everyone involved and I’m sure it won’t portray him positively but I don’t know if I want to watch a movie about Rupert Murdoch in 2026

3

u/Working-Ad-6698 12h ago

I have high trust in Danny "everything is colonialism" Boyle and really hope and wish that Murdoch isn't portayed as the hero or good guy in this.

u/MrBigChest 2h ago

I’m assuming that he won’t be portrayed positively but I’m just too exhausted by the state of the world

11

u/a_horse_named_orb 23h ago

Saw the source material on Broadway. It’s strange and compelling. Bertie Carvel was excellent as Murdoch. Curious what Pearce does with the role.

2

u/a_horse_named_orb 23h ago

It’s kind of like the “America Decides” episode of Succession

0

u/ElectricalPeace3439 22h ago

Jesse Armstrong wrote an episode that showcased the downfall of the American empire.

3

u/h3yguy5 23h ago

Strong casting

3

u/burrito_foreskin 21h ago

Damn.. I was hoping for a block buster reimagining of Jamin Winans’ 2009 Indie film of the same title.

3

u/1sexymuffhugger 17h ago

I was beginning to think I was the only one who saw that movie! I loved the musical scene close to the end.

2

u/burrito_foreskin 17h ago

It’s one of my favorites!

I used to have the signed dvd, t shirt, and poster set. Most likely in a landfill somewhere after my ex and I broke up.

2

u/1sexymuffhugger 17h ago

Bummer. Thats sucks

2

u/The_Breastfed_CEO 21h ago

I’m excited for those Dutch angle shots

1

u/MaxProwes 23h ago

Excited

1

u/felipebarro3316 20h ago

Rupert Murdoch In Venice

1

u/StickyBandit1999 18h ago

So does this mean a 2026 release? It was moved to 2027 I believe during Cinemacon before people saw footage

1

u/PolicyCommercial6392 13h ago

the play is so good

1

u/realancepts4real 10h ago

good to see a Clare Foy credit

1

u/Salad-Appropriate 23h ago

How have Venice openers done previously?

Still, surprising to see it on here, since it was presumed to be released next year

3

u/Flimsy_Fisherman_862 23h ago

Festival openers are usually not big awards players because they don't run in competition.

1

u/xendlessaibrux 16h ago

Ink is in competition

-8

u/HotOne9364 23h ago

Please let this be a return to form for Boyle.

60

u/QTRqtr 23h ago

28 years later already did.

8

u/Brilliant-Muffin-879 23h ago

Beautiful film

-3

u/gladys-the-baker 23h ago

It's generally well received but it's also pretty divisive so I wouldn't quite say it's a return to form.

13

u/RobotSifl 23h ago

Just because it was divisive doesn't mean it wasn't a return to form. 28 years is through and through Danny Boyle doing his thing

6

u/Brilliant-Muffin-879 23h ago

Absolutely, no one else would have made it anywhere near what he did

0

u/riegspsych325 ⊃∪⊃⪽ 23h ago

not even Nia DaCosta?

6

u/Brilliant-Muffin-879 23h ago

That’s the perfect example of someone not doing it anywhere near what he did. Same story, main protagonists, locations, time - very different feel. Although great in their own way.

3

u/Dottsterisk 23h ago

I think they’re referring to Danny Boyle (and Alex Garland) setting the tone and crafting the DNA for the franchise from the very first film.

DaCosta stepped into the franchise and brought something wonderful to it, but she was still building off what Boyle had built.

-5

u/Cyanide_Revolver 23h ago

It has it's moments, but the tonal shift threw me off unfortunately

4

u/corejava2 23h ago

me when it comes to his other film Sunshine. shakes fist!

-5

u/ftgyhujikolp 23h ago

I hated it. But only because of the hard turn in narrative. If they hadn't branded it as a 28 days movie I'd have had different expectations.

Zombie movies like 28 days later are about the breakdown of society, futility to change your circumstances, desperation, survival, isolation, horror.

28 years pivoted hard away from that. Which is fine, but I wouldn't even place it in the same genre. It's a coming of age tale with weird plot armor.

6

u/QTRqtr 22h ago

And that’s why it’s so great. We’ve had two decades of the same doom and gloom “humans are the real monsters in a zombie apocalypse” type stories that someone not using cynicism as a crutch but deciding to make something beautiful and meaningful is 1000 more creative and daring than the regular cynicism and a 20 min+ sequence of people being skinned alive.

Satanist going around killing people is not new. But a doctor holding on to his humanity regardless of his circumstances to help a boy grieve a killer that wasn’t the zombies he was taught to fear is way more thought provoking for me.

2

u/ElectricalPeace3439 22h ago

28YL didn't even shy away from humans being the real monsters. The whole point was how the kid was learning the wrong lessons from his dad. That even his mom can be monstrous. That even the infected can have a soul.

-1

u/ftgyhujikolp 22h ago

Again. I don't really have a fault with the movie itself.

It's the expectations set by the franchise not being met.

When I went to see it, I thought I was in for a really great zombie popcorn flick with some nice twists on the genre.

What we got wasn't that. There were barely any fights with zombies at all. They were virtually non-threatening.

It's an entirely different movie.

Even if you set it in the same universe and named it "across the channel" or "the aftermath" or something, the expectations would have been different and fewer people would have been let down.

It's like if a new Lord of the rings movie came out and it was all about political intrigue and peace negotiations with mordor. A lot of people would be put off even if it was the best political/spy drama of the decade.

0

u/Eugenes_Axe 22h ago

I never find "It wasn't what I expected" to be a compelling argument. So what? The film did what it wanted to do, critique it on that, not what you expected it to be.

1

u/ftgyhujikolp 10h ago

I'm not a film critic, I'm a guy who went to see a movie based on a brand.

It's more a marketing failure than anything else.

u/Eugenes_Axe 2h ago edited 10m ago

I'm not a film critic,

Never said you were, nor do I think that's a requirement for meeting a film on its own terms rather than insisting it does what you thought it was going to do. What's wrong with being surprised by a story?

14

u/sithfistoou 23h ago

Yesterday was not good, but otherwise his last films have been among his best. 28 Years Later, T2, Steve Jobs. All great.

8

u/HerbaDerbaSchnerba 23h ago

Loved T2. It’s as good as the original in a lot of ways.

0

u/CaineRexEverything 23h ago

I disagree. Yesterday was very awful.

3

u/MaxProwes 23h ago

He doesn't need one.

-1

u/rabidsalvation 20h ago

I love Guy Pearce as an actor, shame he's apparently a racist asshole.