By Joanna Orland
Ink is the story of the rise of The Sun, Rupert Murdoch’s notoriously tawdry tabloid newspaper, which disrupted ethics in journalism in the UK and across the globe. Rather than focus on Murdoch’s involvement and agenda, Danny Boyle’s scathing telling focuses more on The Sun’s inaugural editor, Larry Lamb, and the complete disregard for morals that these men embraced as they sought to disrupt the establishment in search of revenge, success, and profit – no matter the consequences.
‘Ink’ Is a Sensationalist Story in Every Sense
A direct line can be traced from the revamping of The Sun to our modern-day issues of disinformation, sensationalism, and clickbait – in journalism, politics, and culture. Danny Boyle doesn’t shy away from connecting the dots, and, as expected, finishes the film with a montage of our toxic manosphere, Fox News, lying politics, clickbait rage, and the like. While laying the blame on The Sun for being the origin of these issues, he manages to go easy on Murdoch himself.
Through his thick skin, Rupert Murdoch (Guy Pearce) was seething at the British institution for seeing him as an outsider, in spite of his wealth and success in his Australian homeland. He purchased The Sun and vowed to make it a resounding success to prove a point and also to disrupt the system. In 1969, he hired working-class Yorkshire journalist Larry Lamb (Jack O’Connell) to run the paper, to relaunch it, and to redefine British journalism to overtake The Daily Mirror as the number one paper in the country.
Lamb is portrayed as the monster in Ink, with much of the blame laid upon him as he fully disregards rules, norms, and consequences for The Sun to succeed. Murdoch is shown to disapprove and disagree with much of what Larry proposes and does, but his complicity seeps through his objections. His willingness to turn a blind eye for profit makes him just as guilty, if not more so, as he is the root of the problem and has always had the power to put a stop to it, or simply to not have gone there in the first place. He chose to look away for revenge, success, and profit. Or as Larry Lamb would put it with regards to The Sun’s front page buzzwords – Win! Free! Love!
Danny Boyle Brings His Audacious Style to ‘Ink’
Danny Boyle is an instinctive filmmaker who modifies his style to suit the story. With Ink, Boyle brings a kinetic and frenzied energy, set to a soundtrack of punk and indie, with fast cuts and jaunty camera angles. The pace is fast, the movement is frenetic, and it mirrors the pace and feel of the sensationalist newsroom of The Sun.
Boyle’s filmmaking approach elevates the material, immerses the audience in it, and is a visceral way to tell this story. It could be said that Boyle’s filmmaking has embraced a “Tabloid Style” to suit the subject matter at hand. The anarchic punk style of the film heightens the anti-establishment ethos of Larry Lamb, and while punk is usually associated with anarchy for the people, in Ink, it is anarchy for profit, with no regard for the people. It’s an anti-establishment movement for making your mark and your money.
Danny Boyle has never shied away from experimentation in filmmaking, but regrettably with Ink, he tries his hand at utilizing AI. It’s only for a couple of small, blink-and-you-miss-it moments, but Boyle’s use of AI to animate old photographs and historical figures proves that AI should not be used in filmmaking. Even though it’s only 30 seconds throughout a two-hour film, it detracts rather than adds, and has become a talking point rather than a throwaway moment.
AI is an ill-advised stylistic choice on Boyle’s part, but whether intentionally or not, it helps to emphasize the modern-day consequences of Murdoch’s and Lamb’s actions. AI is a technological advancement that was inevitable either way, but would we be using it for slop and sensationalism had it not been for Lamb and Murdoch’s disruption of the system? Is it one of the many negative consequences to come out of this story? Hard to say.
Jack O’Connell Is Enigmatic and Ruthless As Larry Lamb
Jack O’Connell gives a brilliant portrayal of Larry Lamb. Ruthless, vulnerable, charismatic – he embodies it all and helps the audience buy into why The Sun editorial staff would follow him into the dark. He also adds a layer of humour to an otherwise extremely cynical scenario, as he brainstorms with his staff on what The Sun should be focusing on. As they shout silly headlines and puns to him, he admits the ridiculousness, but calls it brilliant with such an original line delivery, that it’s remarkable what he brings to this character through his performance.
Guy Pearce is more subdued as Rupert Murdoch, and tries to present him matter-of-factly rather than demonize him. With such a high-profile and maligned character, he manages to bring a different viewpoint to focus on the quiet and complicit disregard for morals he has underneath his big bad boss facade. While some people may not be pleased with the portrayal and ambiguous blame put upon Murdoch in Ink, it tries to stay objective and show that man can be just as bad as monster, using Murdoch as the prime example.
Ink is not just the story of the rise of The Sun, it’s the story of the fall of our established society. It traces the origins of Tabloid Culture and the issues of disinformation and sensationalist propaganda that we see prevalent today. Danny Boyle stylizes Ink in such a rivetingly lurid way, Larry Lamb himself would approve.
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Ink
Directed by Danny Boyle
Starring Jack O’Connell, Guy Pearce, and Claire Foy
Reviewed at TIFF 2026
