Stephen Graham fans, brace yourselves—the This Is England and The Virtues star, fresh from his Emmy-nominated turn in gritty dramas, is diving into uncharted darkness with Good Boy, an unsettling thriller that’s already turning heads at film festivals. Directed by Polish auteur Jan Komasa (Corpus Christi), this 110-minute gut-punch premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 5, 2025, and is slated for UK screenings at the BFI London Film Festival on October 9 and 11, with a wider cinema release expected later this year. Co-starring MobLand‘s Anson Boon and Andrea Riseborough, Good Boy promises a “masterpiece of moral ambiguity,” blending psychological horror with social commentary on vigilante justice and broken youth.
The plot is as chilling as it is provocative: Tommy (Boon), a 19-year-old hooligan drowning in drugs, parties, and senseless violence, vanishes one boozy night in Manchester’s underbelly. He awakens chained to a basement wall in the pristine suburban home of Chris (Graham), a seemingly altruistic family man convinced he can “rehabilitate” the troubled teen. Chris, with his wife (Riseborough) and young son looking on, insists it’s tough love—lessons in discipline, therapy sessions, and forced reflection. But as Tommy’s defiance clashes with Chris’s escalating control, the line between savior and captor blurs, unraveling the family’s facade and exposing the dark undercurrents of good intentions gone wrong.
Graham’s Chris is a revelation—a everyman dad whose paternal zeal twists into obsession, his Scouse growl masking a powder keg of unresolved rage. “Stephen captures that terrifying banality of evil,” director Komasa told Collider. Boon, 24, channels Tommy’s feral energy, his wide-eyed terror evolving into cunning survival instinct, while Riseborough’s subtle unraveling as the complicit mother adds layers of quiet horror. Kit Rakusen rounds out the family as the innocent son, whose innocence heightens the unease. Shot in Manchester’s gray sprawl and claustrophobic basements, the film’s cinematography by Michał Dymek evokes a suffocating dread, with Agnieszka Glińska’s editing ratcheting tension like a ticking bomb.
Written by Naqqash Khalid and Bartek Bartosik, Good Boy probes timely themes: the failures of the justice system, the perils of DIY vigilantism, and the fragility of middle-class morality. Produced by Ewa Piaskowska for Protagonist Pictures, it’s a co-production with Poland’s Opus Film, blending British grit with Eastern European introspection. Early reviews from TIFF are ecstatic: Screen Rant calls it “a well-meaning psycho-thriller that grips like a vice”, praising Graham’s “deeply compelling descent.” On X, fans are buzzing: “Graham chained up Boon? Sign me up for the chills!” one tweeted.
As Graham cements his status as Britain’s most versatile actor—three Emmys for The Power of the Dog notwithstanding—Good Boy arrives as his boldest swing yet. Is Chris a monster or a misguided hero? The film leaves you questioning long after the credits. Catch it at BFI London this October, then on streaming soon. Hold on tight—redemption has never looked so sinister.
