5 Years Later, Anya Taylor Joy's Relentless Crime Drama Explodes Onto Stre

Published Sep 2, 2026, 5:39 AM EDT Molly DeCastro is a New York-based emerging film and entertainment journalist with a personal passion for poetic prose and impactful storytelling. She graduated from Pace University with a degree in English and a concentration in creative writing. While film analysis is at the heart of her work, she is especially interested in exploring cinema through an anthropological lens and in examining how creative themes reflect cultural identity. She aims to forge a deep connection between audiences and film through thoughtful and evocative writing. She also enjoys keeping up with all things film! That means specializing in industry news, emerging directors, and stand-out projects. Eoin Macken's Here are The Young Men somehow finds a way to bottle the thrilling, intangible whirlwind of teenage freedom. Similar to that of the early 2010 masterpiece Skins, the film captures a crew of three recent Dublin grads on an unforgettable, debaucherous bender, with all the sleazy charm one could hope for. Things take a turn for the worse when a horrible accident sends the group skidding off and spiraling. Starring a young Anya Taylor Joy, the film explores the inner workings of the teenage mind when forced to grapple with adult situations. It ponders themes of religion, morality and authority from a beautiful yet tragic coming of age perspective. At the time of its release, the film received a rather humble smattering of boos. In particular, on Rotten Tomatoes, it was awarded a 38% critical score. On IMDb, it was given a slightly more forgiving 5.6/10. Despite the shockingly low ratings, the film drew praise for its strong, novice cast and their incredibly convincing performances. However, some called the script both derivative and muddled. While expert action chops can save a bloated plot, Here are The Young Men proves that if at first you don't succeed, streaming might save the day. So, What Makes Macken's 'Here are The Young Men' So Special? Image via Well Go USA Entertainment Somehow, all at once, the film possesses a floaty, ethereal yet disturbing essence. Think A Clockwork Orange or Thirteen. Essentially, it's a sort of cautionary tale, depicting the consequences of 3 droog-like adolescents with complete freedom and no morals. Hot off the graduation stage, Matthew (Dean-Charles Chapman), Kearney (Finn Cole) and Rez (Ferdia Walsh-Peelo), sprint into the summer, firing on all cylinders. Kearney thinks moving to America will make him a man, Rez likes pills, Matthew likes Jen, their accomplice, played by Anya Taylor-Joy. She, on the other hand, seems to have the ambition they lack. Then all at once, their fleeting, bulletproof demeanor crumbles, or rather implodes. They witness a horrific, entirely avoidable, and fatal accident forcing them to confront their own morality, while being entirely unequipped to do so. Suddenly, the "they can't expel us all" mindset that held them upright, doesn't feel so sturdy. Each of them are left shaken, and some even broken, but all in unique and individual ways. Admittedly, as some have pointed out, while the film persists, the artful cinematography does eventually grow a bit tired. Here Are The Young Men is neither the first nor the last to depend very heavily on making things beautiful rather than substantive. Interestingly, this does seem to be a trait particular to the genre. Even now, in 2026, Sam Levinson's Euphoria is perhaps the most vile and egregious offender. It isn't easy to replicate the magic of teen hood, most people forget it by the time they're old enough to look back. Perhaps that's why audiences felt it fell flat. With all of that being said, while the film isn't necessarily reinventing the wheel, it is certainly successful in its pursuit to entertain, and it's evident the young actors are doing their very best to fill in the gaps. Nonetheless, riding off the heals of Taylor-Joy's smashing success with A Queens Gambit, Here Are The Young Men received a modest dose of praise at the time. However, now with it's accessibility via Amazon Prime, audiences are returning to it 5 years later. Release Date May 27, 2021 Runtime 96 minutes Director Eoin Macken Producers Paul W. S. Anderson, Noah C. Haeussner, Richard Bolger, Jared Ceizler, Carlos Cuscó