A true story based on interview transcripts and records
Two ten year-old boys are detained by police under suspicion of abducting and murdering a toddler.
Detainment (2018) is a drama, crime and documentary film directed by Vincent Lambe, released on May 30, 2018 with a runtime of 30m. It stars Ely Solan, Leon Hughes, Will O'Connell and David Ryan. Viewers rate it 6.7 out of 10 across 103 ratings.
Watch the official trailer for Detainment before you stream it.
Ely Solan
as Jon
Leon Hughes
as Robert
Will O'Connell
as Detective Dale
David Ryan
as Detective Scott
Tara Breathnach
as Susan Venables
Morgan C. Jones
as Detective Roberts
Brian Fortune
as Detective Jacobs
Kathy Monahan
as Ann Thompson
Killian Sheridan
as Neil Venables
Martin Phillips
as Jon's Solicitor
Caleb Mason
as James
Barbara Adair
as Mrs. Garrity
Directed by Vincent Lambe, written by Vincent Lambe, produced by Vincent Lambe and Darren Mahon.
Average viewer score of 6.7/10 from 103 ratings.
There are two really impressive and emotionally-charged performances from Ely Solan and Leon Hughes here but the rest of the feature seems uncomfortably prurient. It was huge news in the UK in 1993 when toddler James Bulger was abducted and murdered by two older children, so this dramatisation is bound to touch nerves as it uses selected transcripts from their police interviews to map out just what happened on that…
Reviewed on February 14, 2026
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Detainment (2018) is available to stream on Amazon Prime Video and Amazon Prime Video with Ads, and to rent or buy from Amazon Video. Streaming availability is checked against JustWatch data and can change by region.
The main cast of Detainment (2018) includes Ely Solan, Leon Hughes, Will O'Connell, David Ryan and Tara Breathnach. The film was directed by Vincent Lambe. You can see the full cast and crew list, with character names, further up this page.
Detainment was released on May 30, 2018 and runs for 30m.
Detainment (2018) holds an average rating of 6.7 out of 10 from 103 viewer votes, and is a good pick if you enjoy drama, crime and documentary films. Read the viewer reviews on this page to decide for yourself.
Yes. The official Detainment trailer is embedded in the trailer section of this page and plays instantly, no download or sign-up required.
