Men Behaving Badly. 'The Riot Club'.

Remember that Stewart Lee routine where he relates the tale of going to University with David Cameron and becomes the victim of a Bullingdon Club inspired prank where he is made to drink his own vomit from a champagne bucket? The story ends with the incongruous punchline: "Now that story about David Cameron is not true. But I feel what it tells us about David Cameron is."

This film is essentially the same thing.

It is adapted by Laura Wade from her play 'Posh' and it is a thoroughly effective but uncomfortable experience. It begins just as you imagine 'Harry Potter And His First Term At University' would and then becomes an excruciating-to-watch elongated dinner scene. As the wine flows, the arrogance and hedonism of this future elite spirals out of control, until the inevitable humiliation of the lower orders occurs.

When one of the toffs rants "I'm sick to fucking death of poor people" you know it isn't satire; this is how these people think, this is how they are. It is a strength of the film that it stays resolutely one sided and never becomes particularly interested in balance or attempting to redeem or apologise for these wankers. Pretty boy Miles might be more down to earth than the others and might very well condescend to be seen with a girl from Cardiff but you soon realise he is only a shade less conceited than the others and spineless too.

The theatrical origins of the piece work in the film's favour. It may largely be confined to one location but the tension is unbearable at times and the dramatic beats hit at exactly the right moments. The cast are all terrific but Sam Claflin's sociopathic Alistair is a standout, utterly devoid of any moral responsibility. Despite being a male ensemble piece, the few women that do appear are well written, have good lines and all make a believable stand in their own way against such rampant misogyny. It is always the men in this film who are impressed and awed by privilege, who want to be a part of the club.

The excesses depicted here may not be true but I feel that what it tells us about men behaving badly is.