Over-eggs the pudding. One too many eggs.

(25-12-'10) I was left with a feeling of deep sadness and contemplation after watching this film about a young ex-con, newly released from serving a prison sentence for a murder he committed as a child. What really carries the film is Andrew Garfield's top notch performance of a boy who feels trapped in the shells of his childhood that are left standing by society. Boy A is beautifully shot, may be a little slow at times, but I was left in silence as the credits rolled. Great movie.

Fuck the last 6 minutes of this movie.

"For all its sensitivity, thoughtful sobriety, and sound performances, though, Boy A finally permits itself an excessive number of contrived and/or clichéd gestures." - Nick Schager

Boy A is so excessively mannered that the story's human element (misunderstood youth, society's indifference) is lost.

Slightly off structurally, as flashbacks build towards a 3rd act reveal that is telegraphed early. This doesn't mean the use of backstory isn't effective: childhood events juxtaposed with Jack's adult life provide a sympathetic look at a man desperately seeking atonement for a mistake few can forgive. Garfield is amazing in this role, a nervous wreck who hasn't matured as much as emotionally rotted from guilt during incarceration: a sobering reminder that even "monsters" bear sorrow and regret.

Emotional film, that provoces ethical discussions among it's audience. The movie unfolds at a perfect, easy, pace and because of this we get a realistic view in the life of a boy struggling to get a hold of his life.

Yet another individual/family social drama from Britain, and a good one! The story, the people and the acting all fit together into a marvellous tale of a man whose child crime will haunt him for a lifetime. The movie really puts you onto his side, making you wonder what the media should and shouldn't do. I must say that it is, however, a really slow-paced movie (too slow on some parts), and the ending is somehow too predictable.

Haunted by his past this boy tries to become a member of society. Questions about murder and crime are posed while this film unfolds. Great acting and involving story.

I was surprised at how personally invested I became in the fate of the protagonist. Boy A is the type of movie you want to shut off after an hour because you just want everyone to be happy and not for things to take a downward turn. I loved the atmospheric music, the sparse sets, the acting (Garfield pulls off his role impressively) and the sense of bleakness. Feels like a very personal movie, making a few scenes hard to watch. Plus the ending really got to me. Ye gods, I'm such a sappy bastard.

That ending is really, really terrible. The rest is meh.

I was sucked into this movie big time, and I'm glad I did. Quite moving without being too deep... almost made me tear up on occasion. Andrew Garfield (Jack) was astounding, portraying his past and present in long, uncut scenes. The bleak settings reflected the atmosphere of the film, and you know Jack didn't have much going for him. One shortcoming = pretty predictable plot, but let yourself get sucked into Jack's world. Watch once, but twice might spoil it.

heartbreking

This really struck a chord with me. Andrew Garfield is outstanding. The film is beautifully crafted and it's definitely thought provoking. It may not be overall as technically high-end as my score seems to make out, but I bloody well enjoyed it.

I thought it was ok. The ending was quite moving though, but the film never completely touched me. But that's probably because of my stone-cold heart

It's a good film with excellent cinematography. However the writing is woefully incomplete, leaving far too many characters unexplained and unexplored, and far too much background unshown. This makes it hard to care what happens to any of the characters. One of the main characters' roles was never actually shown to the viewer, and this detracts severely from the overall story. It's a shame because other than these glaring holes it is a well-made film with great acting.

This film left me utterly speechless. This great British Drama is shot as a devil's advoate kind of view, showing two sides to every story. Certain parts of the film led me and (I'm sure others) to recall a very similar well known British case. The actions to the film lead you to make your own opinions and your mind is questioning every part of this dilemma. Superbly acted, gritty, emotional, real hard hitting stuff with a controversial issue. Amazing! Kudos to the Director and leadi

Top badass moment? Tough one this. Do I go for something involving the bad guy turned good, or the good guys turned bad? I know, I think I’ll just opt out and go for something a little different. A few scenes are shot at Alton Towers. Alton Towers is simply badass. Don’t. Look. Down. 0 cats and 0 decapitations.

In an era where we as a society are so bloodthirsty and obsessed with vengeance that we create facebook groups casually calling for the brutal torture of suspected murderers and rapists, it is always nice to hear a story which earnestly advocates forgiveness and compassion. That being said, I found this film irredeemably plain.

Excellent. Yes predictable at times, but what's wrong with that?

Jack don't u do it ! JACK DON'T JUMP !!!

Should one be forgiven for a heinous crime and left to live his life? What exactly should the punishment be for murder of a child as a child? Just a few questions the film poses on its audience. As the story unfolds, it becomes less and less about a boy that killed and more about a man trying to move on with a thing called life.

All the elements are there for this to be a great film, except it just didn't seem to all come together to form one. I guess my biggest complaint was that the ending was completely forecast from the first 10 minutes. Another problem is that it was too easy to confuse the two children--several times my family and I could not tell which kid was which. So this was good and a recommended watch if you want to see some angst, but don't expect miracles.

Emotionally riveting and brilliantly acted. Hard to watch at times, and perhaps has a low replay value because of that, but still a fine film that poses many challenging questions to the viewer to think about once it's all over.