Beloved actor’s psychological thriller from Oscar-nominated director could be perfect late night viewing
The film is now streaming on Prime Video(Image: Signature Entertainment)
A ‘wickedly strange’ thriller that stars a celebrated actor is a tough watch for some viewers.
The Good Boy was recently added to Prime Video’s streaming library. It was originally released in cinemas back in 2025 but may have passed by most audiences. In some territories, the film was also known as Heel.
It is the first English language film by Polish filmmaker Jan Komasa, known for previously making Corpus Christi. That title was nominated for Best International Film at the Oscars, but missed out to Parasite.
While The Good Boy is often categorised as a horror, some suggest it is more closely lined with the thriller and family drama genres. According to its synopsis, the story follows 19-year-old hooligan Tommy, who revels in a life of drugs, parties, and violence.
One night, on a bender with his reckless friends, he becomes separated from the group and is abducted by an unknown figure. Though he is no stranger to inflicting violence, he is enraged and horrified when he wakes to find himself chained in the basement of the isolated suburban family home of Chris, his wife Kathryn and their young son Jonathan.
It has been dubbed ‘sick and twisted'(Image: Signature Entertainment)
The family sets out to reform Tommy’s unruly behaviour. In doing so they force him to comply with their relentless mind games or seek escape at any cost.
Its cast is lead by the multi-award winning, Liverpool-born actor Stephen Graham, known for his past roles in Peaky Blinders, Adolescence, Boiling Point, Line of Duty and This Is England to name a few. Graham takes on the sinister role of patriarch Chris, while he is joined by Alice & Jack’s Andrea Riseborough and MobLand’s Anson Boon.
Despite its limited cinematic release it was a big hit with the critics, scoring 87% on website Rotten Tomatoes. One reviewer described it as “a sick, twisted nightmare” while another called it “wickedly strange and sick”. Meanwhile there is expected praise for Graham’s performance which is dubbed “superbly creepy”.
Another critic penned: ” This is a curious, unsettling picture, with parallels to A Clockwork Orange: in this meeting of monsters.” One claimed: “Good Boy is relentlessly bleak ‘fun’ and twisty-turny throughout, with Stephen Graham once again excelling in a role about adolescence of a different kind.”
One fan admitted they had to pause it got so tense(Image: Signature Entertainment)
Many fans seem to agree although one warned some could struggle to get through. They posted: “It was difficult to watch but rewarding in the end. Interesting story told well.”
It could be the perfect late night watch over the weekend as one viewer commented: “This film keeps you guessing from start to finish! The Good Boy is a thoroughly disturbing yet highly enjoyable piece of cinema. It’s rare to see black comedy executed this well, but it completely hits the mark – keeping you laughing even through its darkest, most unsettling moments.”
One person went so far as to call it “a disturbingly relevant masterpiece.” Someone else admitted it got too much at times as they commented: ” I fully enjoyed it. I had to pause it when he was trying to escape, so intense!”
The Good Boy is streaming on Prime Video.
