The Riot Club vs Posh

The Riot Club has now been at the cinemas for a good week now, but did you know that it was actually a play called Posh? The play itself did not come out that long ago, in fact we saw (and reviewed!) the West End transfer of the show. There's only one problem though, we can be incredibly snobby with adaptations, so how did it work on the big screen?


To give you a backstory to Laura Wade's play, it was met with a little bit of controversy, mainly from posh people, because it was quite raw in its classism. None of the characters in the play itself came across as likeable, but it seemed like critics did not really get the point of creative freedom. Of course bringing Posh to the big screen changed that a lot, and it has bought us a great thriller with the same message...kinda.

Max Irons takes on the role of Miles, a role in the play that was pretty much there to put the numbers of the club up, but in the film is our protagonist. Bright eyed Irons works well in this reworking of the character, and his willingness to be open to everybody is something to be applauded. And unlike Posh you do kind of end up feeling for the lad deep in the shadows of his money, despite the fact he does want to flaunt that.

The biggest difference is the fact...well...one is a film and one is a play. We get a disadvantage of not having the dinner party chats and certain scenes feel too much too quickly in The Riot Club. But that quickly balances out with the fact we have the chance to look at everybody's back stories but don't in Posh. As the movie went on that is when we realised you really can not compare them, they are their own deities...and for a first time screenwriter Wade has really accomplished a lot with that.

But there is one thing that The Riot Club has that Posh did not have...and that is Sam Claflin. He has made a slow but steady name for himself over the last few years, but there is no doubt The Riot Club is going to set his place in the elite of British actors. He nails hopelessly teenage but sociopathetic Alistair so well, we wanted to punch him (Alistair of course, not Claflin!).

Sure, The Riot Club has no acapella version of Sexy And I Know It, and there is no mention of the word "Savage" anywhere, the adaptation really transitioned well. Wade plays to her new audience, the lads of the club are not appealing to snooty theatre goers anymore, and every one of those lads on screen feel like they actually have a point to be there. Now the film world has seen just how well theatre can transition on screen, we can hope that there are some more coming!

The Riot Club is out now.