Best-Reviewed Movies 2014 – UK

Critics Consensus: Smart, hard-hitting, and queasily realistic, Starred Up is an instant classic of U.K. prison cinema.

Synopsis: An explosive teenager runs into his equally violent father after being switched to an adult prison from a facility for juveniles.

Starring: Ben Mendelsohn, Rupert Friend, Jack O'Connell, Sam Spruell

Directed By: David Mackenzie

Critics Consensus: Led by a masterful performance from Timothy Spall and brilliantly directed by Mike Leigh, Mr. Turner is a superior Hollywood biopic.

Synopsis: Eccentric British painter J.M.W. Turner (Timothy Spall) lives his last 25 years with gusto and secretly becomes involved with a seaside landlady, while his faithful... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Timothy Spall, Paul Jesson, Dorothy Atkinson, Marion Bailey

Directed By: Mike Leigh

Critics Consensus: A one-man show set in a single confined location, Locke demands a powerful performance -- and gets it from a never-more-compelling Tom Hardy.

Synopsis: A man's (Tom Hardy) life unravels after he leaves a construction site at a critical time and drives to London to be present for the... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Tom Hardy, Ruth Wilson, Andrew Scott, Tom Holland

Directed By: Steven Knight

Critics Consensus: Funny, clever, and endearingly unusual, Frank transcends its quirky trappings with a heartfelt -- and surprisingly thought-provoking -- story.

Synopsis: An aspiring musician (Domhnall Gleeson) finds himself way out of his element after he joins a pop group led by an enigmatic figure (Michael Fassbender)... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Michael Fassbender, Domhnall Gleeson, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Scoot McNairy

Directed By: Lenny Abrahamson

Critics Consensus: With an outstanding starring performance from Benedict Cumberbatch illuminating its fact-based story, The Imitation Game serves as an eminently well-made entry in the "prestige biopic" genre.

Synopsis: In 1939, newly created British intelligence agency MI6 recruits Cambridge mathematics alumnus Alan Turing (Benedict Cumberbatch) to crack Nazi codes, including Enigma -- which cryptanalysts... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Benedict Cumberbatch, Keira Knightley, Matthew Goode, Rory Kinnear

Directed By: Morten Tyldum