Good Boy/Heel (2025) Film Review: A darkly twisted thriller with a killer cast

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A 19-year-old criminal, Tommy, revels in a life of drugs, parties, and violence.

One night, on a bender with his reckless friends, he is separated from the group and kidnapped by an unknown figure and later wakes up chained in the basement of an isolated, countryside home.

The eccentric family responsible for his abduction make it their mission to reform Tommy's unruly behaviour, subjecting him to a violent and emotionally manipulative rehabilitation process.

Good Boy (2025), not to be confused with Ben Leonberg's debut horror of the same name featuring brave pooch Indy, is also known as Heel to help avoid confusing the two.

The screenplay, originally written in Polish and set in Warsaw, was adapted into English and set in Yorkshire to appeal to a wider audience and is director Jan Komasa's first English language film.

The movie stars the wonderful Stephen Graham and Andrea Riseborough as dysfunctional couple, Chris and Kathryn, Anson Boon as Tommy and young Kit Rakusen as their ten year-old son, Jonathan.

Armed with a taser and a box of other threatening instruments, Stephen Graham's Chris will go to extreme lengths to subdue his new captive

This is one of the most unique films of the year so far for its compelling concept and darkly comedic, satirical tone laced with genuine heart and drama throughout. It is also very bizarre and absurdist in its execution, offering viewers something fresh and original, with borrowed elements from other media.

The film pulls no punches regarding its out of control troublemaker at the centre of its story, opening with a raw and gritty montage of Tommy's latest night out, taking drugs, drinking, knocking chips out of a fellow clubber's hand and generally behaving like one of the worst people one may have the terrible misfortune of bumping into on the streets at night.

He is a typical rowdy, over-confident lad's lad, swearing and causing chaos to everything and everyone around him. Things soon take an ominous turn when he is suddenly abducted whilst intoxicated and the next time we see him, it is through the eyes of a down on her luck former sex worker turned cleaner, when she is employed by the patriarch of the family.

This creative choice to abruptly switch to an alternate POV, which runs parallel with the central plot, effectively establishes the combination of black comedy/psychological thriller by demonstrating how shocking and disturbing this chained up teenager would appear to an outsider.

The movie continues to be provocative and particularly nasty when it comes to its cynical evaluation of the younger generation, with Tommy's ultraviolent rampages reflecting back on him as Chris subjects him to an intense beating when he is disrespectful towards the new maid.

Anson Boon plays Tommy, a volatile young man who is forced to reconsider his life choices when he is abducted by a strange family determined to rehabilitate him

It is very bleak, but never stoops so low to be seen as offensive or untasteful; instead, becoming quite the thought provoking watch as Tommy gradually becomes more susceptible to the family's unorthodox ways of forcibly reconstructing his destructive mindset.

The 'parents' sit him down and make him watch social media posts of some of his most despicable crimes, and whilst they eventually allow him to move him around the house, his dignity is still wounded as the collar and chain remains around his neck like a disobedient dog.

There is a great sense of unpredictability and intrigue surrounding the narrative as it generally remains ambiguous whether Tommy has become fully converted into this messed up family, or is secretly waiting for the opportune moment to make his escape.

It offers a fascinating exploration of several interesting themes and ideas whilst successfully operating as an intense, often heart stopping thriller.

The film remains open to different interpretations depending on how viewers choose to engage with the material and a particularly subversive ending also leaves one thinking long after the credits finish rolling.

There is some vagueness regarding more intricate details about the family's background and other loose plot threads, however what is inferred through dialogue and performances does enough to draw viewers in to engage with its story.

The terrific cast certainly carries and sells the film, with each giving their own unique input to create a very solid foundation for such a bold premise.

Anson Boon is instantly believable and convincing as Tommy, effortlessly embodying the rebellious angry side of his character, whilst also managing to convey vulnerability and emotional range later as the family's efforts steadily begin to influence him.

Both Graham and Riseborough balance each other out well, with each of their roles inhabiting very different personalities.

Kathryn appears to be in a chronically depressive state towards the beginning of the film, saying very little and remaining dissociated with her surroundings, whilst Chris is determined and confident that he will successfully convert Tommy into the outstanding young man who will replace the eldest son they once had.

Movie night with a twist - a chained up teenager obliged to bond with his new 'family'

Special mention must go to Kit Rakusen, who gives an impressive performance for an actor of his age, demonstrating authentic emotional range which further enhances the movie's fascinating concepts.

Additionally, despite the movie's dark subject matter, cinematographer Michał Dymek delivers a warm, inviting quality to the image which exhibits a grainy, film quality. The well kept, stately family home has a well realised layout, as well as an enticing costume design which accurately reflects each character's personality.

Good Boy, or Heel, offers audiences a captivating viewing experience whilst reveling in its delightfully dark and playful tone. Although it does not quite reach its full potential and stumbles a little in effectively communicating some of the finer details of its plotting, this is a brilliantly executed thriller which does not sacrifice mature, complex themes for cheap scares.

Definitely do not be put off by the many company logos preluding the actual start time. For those with a keen taste for dark black comedies, it is well worth the wait!

Check out the trailer for Good Boy (2025) below, and please let me know your thoughts in the comments!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RN-AgjrWr2s