Wasteman, the acclaimed British thriller starring David Jonsson and Tom Blyth, is now available to watch at home in the UK. With a perfect 100% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, this is one of the most lauded films of 2026 so far.
The prison film sees Jonsson portray Taylor, an inmate who is expecting to be released in the coming weeks. Though he is ordered to keep his head down, he finds it difficult when a dangerous prisoner, Dee (Blyth), becomes his new cellmate.
Directed by Cal McMau from a screenplay by Hunter Andrews and Eoin Doran, the visceral thriller was released in UK cinemas in February, and is now available to watch at home.
Bankside Films
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The drama can be digitally rented or bought from major retailers such as Amazon and Apple TV, and it’s available in Standard, High or Ultra High Definition. It costs £15.99 to rent, or £19.99 to buy outright.
Following its world premiere at the 50th Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) in September, Wasteman has garnered critical acclaim, with Rotten Tomatoes currently reporting a perfect approval rating of 100% from 23 reviews.
“Some of the tropes are familiar, but this film sidesteps the cliches with the committed acting and fierce storytelling punch,” noted The Guardian, while Empire Magazine called it “energetic and urgent”.
“Wasteman, the debut feature film from director Cal McMau, is exceptionally gritty, brutal and claustrophobic; its tight shots give us nowhere to escape to when violence ensues,” opined Little White Lies.
InSession Film was also full of praise, writing: “More films should be willing to take such harrowing risks, but few will result in achievements as bold and brilliant as this. Perhaps they’d be best not to try.”
Lionsgate
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“Even if it doesn’t fully probe the socio-political realities of the prison experience, Wasteman succeeds as an emotional survival tale. Here’s a film that proves that sometimes, the most terrifying part of prison can just be who you’re locked up with,” noted Time Out.
“It’s an overwhelming burden for a man to carry. And with Jonsson doing the carrying – well, we feel every pound of its weight,” wrote The Independent, while The Observer lauded McMau’s “lean, light-footed direction”.
Wasteman is now available to buy or rent now.
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Reporter, Digital Spy George is a freelance writer who specialises in Movies and TV. After graduating with a degree in Film Studies and Journalism from De Montfort University, in which he analysed the early works of Richard Linklater for his dissertation, he wrote for several websites for GRV Media. His film tastes vary from blockbusters like Mission: Impossible and John Wick to international directors such as Paolo Sorrentino and Hirokazu Kore-eda, and has attended both the London and Berlin film festivals.