The Good Boy – Film Review
by Hugh Maguire

Director – Jan Komasa
Writers – Bartek Bartosik, Naqqash Khalid
Stars – Stephen Graham, Andrea Riseborough, Anson Boon

Released on Friday, March 20, 2026

There can be few films that manage to be both compelling and terrifying all at once.  But this is certainly one of them – with twists and turns that leave the viewer almost exhausted and on edge – and yet with moments of gallows-like humour that provide brief moments of respite.  It has a liquidiser-like start as we race into the lifestyle of its degenerate hero on a night out in provincial England. With music pounding and lights flashing we follow the improbably goodlooking Tommy (Anson Boon), all cheeky chappy grin but a piece of garbage really as he descends into the depths of behaviour, abusing bouncers, drinking excessively, snorting to his heart’s content, masturbating, making sexual advances to another in front of his girlfriend, and accompanied by an equally fuddled entourage of young men out to cause mayhem.  Initially, it seems to be an essay on the state of Britain – a rallying cry for Reform. Or indeed are they all anti-foreigner, and we are in for some political observations, but no, there is a narrative twist, the first of many and a completely stoned and out of his head Tommy is kidnapped (rescued?) and taken off to a chilly mansion in deepest Yorkshire – far from the madding crowd.

Confined to a basement and chained by a neck collar, he is subjected to both physical and emotional abuse, all in the name of correcting his behaviour.  Of course, we don’t know any of this just yet, as we only discover the basement through the eyes of a hired domestic help with whom we, as viewers, enter the house. She is subjected to Airport-style security, gives up her phone and signs non-disclosure agreements and so forth.  It is clear that the family, well, the father, Chris (Stephen Graham), is a bit of a crackpot.  She becomes a substitute for the viewer in some respects as she sees the horrors of what is happening and says nothing, or more correctly, can say nothing.  The family have done a background check, and her dodgy immigration status will only explode in her face if she opens her mouth.  Tommy, on the other hand, opens his mouth all the time, and there is an endless display of invective and abuse as he rails against his captors.  Through the passage of time, there is a mellowing of his behaviour and greater self-awareness, touchingly and believably handled. He is allowed to come upstairs (albeit still chained by the neck), and he engages with the family who have many issues themselves – the control freak father, the likeable but nerdy ten-year-old who is lucky to be so positive, surrounded by madness.  With impressive skill by the filmmakers, we find ourselves switching allegiances all the time, as the film plays with our views of the characters.

It is hugely watchable and superbly acted by all.  In fact, it is all too credible. Additionally, it raises uncomfortable questions on the nature of love and redemption, and of course, justice.  Do we have to be cruel to be kind?  Given the recoil at discredited conversion therapy, are we actually suggesting that aggressive, indeed inherently crackpot, interventions can make a difference?  Questions to ponder, but only in tandem with an excellent, thrilling piece of cinema.