Cineworld brought us The Good Boy for their Secret Screening, which I have to say was a film I was looking forward to seeing, as I really didn’t know that much about it, except what I had seen in the trailer.
The film follows Tommy, a volatile 19-year-old who indulges in drugs, parties, and violence. After becoming separated from his friends during a drunken night out, he is kidnapped by a mysterious figure. He wakes up to find himself imprisoned in the basement of a remote house in Yorkshire, which is inhabited by an eccentric family. However, what unfolds is not what he—or the audience—could expect.
The opening scenes of The Good Boy (Heel) are pretty brutal and very disturbing, but if you get through those and continue with the film, it opens up into something more powerful and thought-provoking.
Tommy (Anson Boon) is a completely out-of-control young man who is just causing nothing but havoc wherever he goes. Starting fights in nightclubs, taking excessive amounts of drugs and adding alcohol to the mix.
On one of his last “benders”, we see him struggling to even walk down the street, then we see him being approached by someone!
The story then introduces us to Chris (Stephen Graham) and Rina (Monica Frajckyk), a young woman looking for work with Chris, who accepts the job. She meets Chris and his wife Kathryn (Andrea Riseborough) and his son Jonathan (Kit Rakusen) at his house and is introduced to some strict, strange rules, and to Tommy, who is chained up in the basement!
The reason for Tommy’s incarceration becomes clear through the film, and it’s not what you may think it is at first. Chris is trying to help Tommy make a change in his life.
There are some uneasy moments in the early stages with Chris and Tommy, but the characters are beautifully written and portrayed on the screen.
I loved how the story flowed throughout the film, and I was in both minds of hating Tommy for what he had done in the past and also feeling sorry for him for the predicament he was in and how he was treated by Chris.
My only issue with The Good Boy, and it’s a small one, is that we don’t really get to find out what happened to the family’s other son, except that he died. At first, I thought Tommy had something to do with his death!
The cast performances are superb, and although it can be a little uneasy to watch at times, the idea behind the rehabilitation of Tommy is interesting, and it works well, especially with the ending we get.
Anson Boon, who plays wayward Tommy, really steals his scenes and gives a superb performance from start to finish with a vast range of emotions.
The Good Boy is part nightmare, part black comedy and part family drama, which is out in UK cinemas from the 20th of March courtesy of Signature Entertainment.
Movie title: The Good Boy (2026)
Movie description: A 19-year-old criminal, Tommy, is kidnapped and forced into a rehabilitation process by a dysfunctional couple, Chris and Kathryn, who try to make him a "good boy." Tommy must find a way to escape.
Date published: March 17, 2026
Country: UK
Duration: 1h 50m
Director(s): Jan Komasa
Actor(s): Stephen Graham, Andrea Riseborough, Anson Boon,
Genre: Thriller
Summary
A somewhat unnerving in parts but thought-provoking thriller that is a must-see.
Karen Woodham is the founder and owner of the Blazing Minds. She is also a Cinema reviewer and works with RealD 3D reviewing the latest 3D releases and IMAX, she has also had several articles published in various publications including the first edition of SFW Magazine. In 2015 she became an Award Winning Blogger and also has her website listed as one of the UK’s Top 10 Film Blogs.
