Stephen Graham’s new thriller with 94% on Rotten Tomatoes finally gets release date

'Twisty-turny throughout, with Stephen Graham once again excelling in a role about adolescence of a different kind,' one reviewer said of the thriller.

Also known as Heel in the US, the film sees the actor (who recently won a Golden Globe for his work in the Netflix crime drama Adolescence) play a husband and father named Chris, who abducts a 19-year-old hooligan named Tommy (Anson Boon, MobLand).

The teenager is enraged and horrified when he awakes to find himself chained in the basement of Chris' isolated suburban family home, where the abductor lives with his wife Kathryn (Oscar-nominee Andrea Riseborough, To Leslie), and their young son.

As the family sets out to "reform" Tommy's unruly behaviour, the hooligan is forced to "either comply with their relentless mind games or seek escape at any cost".

The Good Boy Trailer

The Good Boy was made by rising director Jan Komasa (Corpus Christi, The Hater), who also has another star-studded thriller film coming to Netflix on 1 February titled Anniversary.

His movie with Stephen Graham was initially called Good Boy, but has had its title changed to The Good Boy in the UK and Heel in the US, presumably to avoid confusion with last year's hit dog horror of the same name, as well as the likewise titled RTÉ sitcom.

Having played on the festival circuit last year, Graham and Komasa's film has already garnered rave reviews.

Holding a 94% score on Rotten Tomatoes, you can read some of these glowing reactions from critics below:

Digital Spy: "Anchored by terrific performances from British acting royalty Stephen Graham and Andrea Riseborough, with a strong breakout turn from MobLand's Anson Boon, Good Boy is unlike any thriller you've seen this year."

Flickering Myth: "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."

The Guardian: "There is something very theatrical about Good Boy -- I can imagine this on the London West End stage. Perhaps it would be much less with a lesser cast: Graham and Riseborough execute the bland nastiness expertly."

Mashable: "If you're seeking funky and f**ked-up entertainment, Good Boy should scratch that late-night movie itch."

The Wrap: “Good Boy is doggone exceptional when it comes to the powerhouse acting abilities of Graham and Boon, both of whom take on their roles to showcase opposite ends of the rehabilitation spectrum."

The Good Boy will be released in Irish cinemas on 20 March 2026.

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