Stephen Graham’s Dark Thriller Good Boy Lands Perfect Score — Critics Call It “Utterly Gripping”

Actor Stephen Graham, long hailed for his ferocious realism and emotional depth, has returned to the big screen in one of the darkest, most disturbing roles of his career — and the critics are already raving.

The British star headlines Good Boy, a psychological kidnapping thriller from Polish director Jan Komasa, which premiered last month at the Toronto International Film Festival. Early reviews have been unanimous: this is Graham at his most chilling and magnetic. The film currently boasts a perfect 100 percent rating on Rotten Tomatoes based on the first 15 critic reviews, a rare accolade even among prestige festival titles.

A New Kind of Monster

Good Boy introduces audiences to Tommy (played by Mob Land’s Anson Boon), a lonely 19-year-old whose quiet routine is violently upended when he is abducted by a seemingly ordinary middle-class couple, portrayed by Stephen Graham and Andrea Riseborough.

What follows is a tense, claustrophobic psychological drama that explores power, morality, and the strange comfort of captivity. Komasa — best known for his Oscar-nominated Corpus Christi and 2020’s The Hater — steers the story away from conventional horror jump scares and into something more unsettlingly human.

Graham’s character, reviewers say, exudes the deceptive calm of a man convinced that cruelty is kindness. Riseborough, playing his equally complex partner, adds an unnerving tenderness to the pair’s twisted domesticity.

Critical Acclaim Across the Board

Film critics at Toronto described Good Boy as “a chamber piece that burns slow but hits hard.”

Digital Spy wrote:

“There might be no such fears here about whether the dog is going to die, but Good Boy will still have you utterly gripped as its weird tale plays out. Anchored by terrific performances from British acting royalty Stephen Graham and Andrea Riseborough, with a strong breakout turn from Anson Boon, Good Boy is unlike any thriller you’ve seen this year.”

The Guardian praised the movie’s stage-like intensity, remarking:

“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.”

Meanwhile, U.S. trade outlets highlighted Komasa’s precision direction and the haunting sound design that transforms ordinary household noises — a kettle whistle, a creaking chair — into instruments of dread.

Stephen Graham: Britain’s Everyman of Extremes

For Graham, who has built a career playing men teetering between charm and menace, Good Boy continues a long tradition of disappearing into complex characters. From his breakout as hot-headed Combo in This Is England to unforgettable turns in Boardwalk Empire, Line of Duty, and Boiling Point, he has consistently blurred the line between villainy and vulnerability.

In Good Boy, critics say, he strips away any trace of empathy, revealing a performance that is almost frightening in its restraint. One reviewer compared his work to Anthony Hopkins’ Hannibal Lecter — “quiet, precise, and horrifyingly believable.”

Graham’s co-star Andrea Riseborough, coming off her Oscar-nominated performance in To Leslie, matches him beat for beat. Their chemistry, say festivalgoers, turns the film into a warped domestic duet: part love story, part psychological torture chamber.

Jan Komasa’s Return to Form

Director Jan Komasa has long been interested in characters trapped between sin and salvation. In Corpus Christi, he examined a criminal posing as a priest; in The Hater, he dissected online radicalization. With Good Boy, he channels those moral obsessions into a smaller, more suffocating setting.

The screenplay, co-written with Mateusz Pacewicz, balances dark humor with ethical horror, forcing the audience to confront how easily empathy can twist into control. The film’s muted palette and deliberate pacing heighten the unease — “a study in cruelty conducted with surgical precision,” as one critic put it.

A Festival Sensation

At Toronto, Good Boy drew standing ovations at multiple screenings. Journalists reported visible shock among audiences during key scenes, with many comparing the film’s tension to Misery and Room.

Streaming services and distributors are already rumored to be in fierce competition for global rights, with awards pundits predicting acting nominations for both Graham and Riseborough.

Industry insiders note that the movie’s perfect Rotten Tomatoes debut places it among a small club of modern thrillers — including Get Out and Prisoners — that combine high-art direction with mass-audience appeal.

What Makes Good Boy Different

Despite its grim premise, critics agree that Good Boy transcends the typical “abduction horror.” Instead of shocks and gore, it offers moral discomfort and emotional ambiguity. Viewers are left questioning who the real victim is — and whether captivity can sometimes feel safer than freedom.

Digital Spy’s verdict captures the consensus: “Utterly gripping, beautifully acted, and deeply disturbing, this is Stephen Graham’s most fearless performance yet.”

Looking Ahead

With awards season approaching, Good Boy positions both Graham and Komasa for major recognition. The film is expected to open in the U.K. and U.S. later this winter, following additional festival stops in London and New York.

For now, its early success confirms what fans of Stephen Graham have long known: few actors can turn darkness into art quite like he can. And if early reviews are any indication, Good Boy is more than just a thriller — it’s the performance of his career.