Oxford, bastion of British aristocracy. For generations, the very elite has belonged to the Riot Club, a very private circle made up of its most rich, cultured and daring students. To expand their ranks, the membership decides to add two new students: the introverted Alistair Ryle and Casanova Miles Richards, two diametrically opposite young men. But everything goes wrong during their first official evening, when the Riot Club goes out to celebrate.

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In the wake of An Education starring Carey Mulligan and the romantic One Day starring Anne Hathaway, Danish director Lone Scherfig changes gears to look at a very male world within Oxford. Adapted from Laura Wade’s play Posh, The Riot Club investigates the violence slumbering within a social circle, a generation and the system that holds them. On paper, The Riot Club promises many things. Onscreen, the result is less striking than it could have been, due to lackluster direction and awkward narration, which could have been used to offer the characters more depth. In any case, Sam Claflin, from The Hunger Games, demonstrates that there is a real presence behind his pretty face.