Good Boy
Film poster
Directed by Jan Komasa
Written by
  • Bartek Bartosik
  • Naqqash Khalid
Produced by
Starring
  • Stephen Graham
  • Andrea Riseborough
  • Anson Boon
  • Kit Rakusen
Cinematography Michał Dymek
Music by Abel Korzeniowski
Production
companies
  • Recorded Picture Company
  • Skopia Film
Distributed by Signature Entertainment
Release dates
  • 5 September 2025 (2025-09-05) (TIFF)
  • 20 March 2026 (2026-03-20) (United Kingdom)
Running time
110 minutes[1]
Countries
  • Poland
  • United Kingdom
Language English
Box office $5,055[2]

Good Boy (also known as Heel)[3] is a 2025 black comedy thriller film directed by Jan Komasa. It stars Stephen Graham, Andrea Riseborough, Anson Boon, Kit Rakusen. It tells the story of a married couple who abduct a 19-year-old criminal and try various methods to rehabilitate him. The film had its world premiere at the 50th Toronto International Film Festival on 5 September 2025.

Premise

A 19-year-old criminal named Tommy is kidnapped and forced into rehabilitation at the hands of a married couple.

Cast

  • Stephen Graham as Chris
  • Andrea Riseborough as Kathryn
  • Anson Boon as Tommy
  • Kit Rakusen as Jonathan
  • Monika Frajczyk [pl] as Rina
  • Savannah Steyn
  • Austin Haynes

Production

Producer Jerzy Skolimowski approached director Jan Komasa with the film's screenplay while the latter was promoting his 2019 film, Corpus Christi. The screenplay, originally written in Polish and set in Warsaw, was adapted into English and set in Yorkshire to appeal to a wider audience. It is Komasa's first English-language film.[4]

Principal photography took place in Yorkshire and Warsaw, and was completed in October 2024.[5][6]

Release

A promotional clip was released on 3 September 2025.[7] The film had its world premiere in the Centerpiece section of the 50th Toronto International Film Festival on 5 September 2025.[4][8] It was also screened at the BFI London Film Festival and the Rome Film Festival.[9][10]

The film will be released by Kino Świat in Poland. In November 2025, it was acquired for distribution by Magnolia Pictures in the United States; Signature in the United Kingdom and Ireland; X Verleih in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland; Minerva Pictures in Italy; YouPlanet/Caramel Films in Spain; Sundae in Japan; 18k Films in the Benelux; Front Row Films in the Middle East; Pris Audiovisuais in Portugal; Shaw Organisation in Singapore; Beta Film in Bulgaria; The Film Group in Greece; Catchplay in Taiwan; and Bir Film in Turkey.[11]

Reception

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 90% of 49 critics' reviews are positive. The website's consensus reads: "Wrestling with provocative questions about rehabilitation and having a maniacally fun time while it's at it, Heel is a nutty thriller that has a surprising amount of method to its madness."[12] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 64 out of 100, based on 14 critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews.[13]

Damon Wise of Deadline wrote, "Like an early Yorgos Lanthimos, the strangeness of the premise does a lot of heavy lifting, but the performers literally bring character to what might easily have been a one-note movie."[14] Christopher Llewellyn Reed of Film Festival Today noted that the film "pleasantly surprises in the way it spins out its story threads," adding that "there is more to Tommy than we originally thought, and more to the movie, too," even if "some of it strains credulity."[15] Pavel Snapkou of Showbiz by PS described the film as "an insanely interesting story with a rather sad ending," praising its "fantastic" setup and performances while arguing that the finale "throws away everything that was built in the first half of the film".[16]

References

  1. ^ "The Good Boy (2026)". Irish Film Classification Office. 13 February 2026. Retrieved 13 February 2026.
  2. ^ "Heel". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 13 March 2026.
  3. ^ "'Heel' Trailer – Stephen Graham & Andrea Riseborough Kidnap a Criminal in Twisted Thriller". Bloody Disgusting. 20 January 2026. Retrieved 20 January 2026.
  4. ^ a b Vourlias, Christopher (4 September 2025). "Oscar-Nominated Director Jan Komasa on Dark, Twisted Toronto Premiere 'Good Boy,' Starring 'Adolescence's' Stephen Graham, Andrea Riseborough". Variety. Retrieved 4 September 2025.
  5. ^ Wiseman, Andreas (31 October 2024). "Stephen Graham, Andrea Riseborough & Anson Boon Lead Jan Komasa's 'Good Boy' For Producers Jeremy Thomas, Ewa Piaskowska & Jerzy Skolimowski; HanWay Launches For AFM". Deadline. Retrieved 31 October 2024.
  6. ^ Jacob, Liana (1 August 2024). "Films The Choral, The Nest, Good Boy and TV drama Reunion are filmed across Yorkshire". The Yorkshire Post. Retrieved 4 November 2024.
  7. ^ DeVore, Britta (3 September 2025). "'Adolescence's Stephen Graham Imprisons a 'MobLand' Star in 'Good Boy' Sneak Peek [Exclusive]". Collider. Retrieved 4 September 2025.
  8. ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony (5 August 2025). "TIFF Centrepiece Section Counts 55 Titles Including Pics Starring Shailene Woodley, Ethan Hawke, Margaret Qualley, Samara Weaving, Stephen Graham & More". Deadline. Retrieved 5 August 2025.
  9. ^ Ntim, Zac (3 September 2025). "BFI London Film Festival: Chloé Zhao's 'Hamnet' & Kate Moss Biopic 'Moss & Feud' Among Headline Titles — Full List". Deadline. Retrieved 3 September 2025.
  10. ^ Scarpa, Vittoria (22 September 2025). "The 20th Rome Film Fest reveals its line-up". Cineuropa. Retrieved 13 October 2025.
  11. ^ Wiseman, Andreas (12 November 2025). "Stephen Graham & Andrea Riseborough Kidnap Horror 'Good Boy' Sells To U.S., UK, Germany, Italy, Spain, Japan & More". Deadline. Retrieved 12 November 2025.
  12. ^ "Good Boy". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved 12 March 2026.
  13. ^ "Good Boy". Metacritic. Fandom, Inc. Retrieved 12 March 2026.
  14. ^ Wise, Damon (9 September 2025). "'Good Boy' Review: Stephen Graham Steals The Show In Jan Komasa's Creepily Funny Kidnap Horror – Toronto Film Festival". Deadline. Retrieved 20 January 2026.
  15. ^ Reed, Christopher Llewellyn (8 September 2025). "TIFF Review: "Good Boy"". Film Festival Today. Retrieved 23 February 2026.
  16. ^ Snapkou, Pavel (22 February 2026). "Movie Review: Good Boy (Heel) by Jan Komasa". Showbiz by PS. Retrieved 23 February 2026.