Published:
Readtime: 4 min
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If Get Out and The Substance went tailgating and got a little sloppy, you’d probably end up with something like HIM. The latest from Jordan Peele’s Monkeypaw Productions is a supernatural sports splatterfest that asks how much sweat and blood you’d sacrifice to be the GOAT. Boasting a killer idea (football as a Faustian bargain), America’s most ritualised tradition is given a horror twist.
The problem with a high-concept premise, though, is that it builds towering expectations. That’s probably one reason why HIM is drawing criticism: it doesn’t always live up to the promise of its logline, but it makes a glorious mess trying. Like a halftime show aiming to transform commercial spectacle into an artistic statement—some will jeer, some will cheer.
HIM isn’t a flawless victory: it’s messy, extremely violent and, like the all-caps title, a tad self-important. But it’s also visually striking, frequently surprising and not afraid to go hard. Just don’t expect a very clear play-by-play.
The Devil’s Playbook
Tyriq Withers, I Know What You Did Last Summer’s fresh catch, stars as Cameron Cade, a gifted young quarterback whose career nearly ends before it begins. For some unexplained reason legendary eight-time championship QB Isaiah White (Marlon Wayans) swoops in deus-ex-machina style to offer Cade salvation and a way back into the league. Invited to train at White’s isolated Dune-inspired desert complex, Cade arrives like a lamb for the slaughter and steps into White’s surreal world for six days of intense physical and mental training.
Wayans takes a welcome stab at something more serious as the grinning legend and mentorship menace, while Withers brings raw energy and eagerness. The pair’s Cain-and-Abel, mentor-protégé dynamic gives the film just enough emotional muscle, while Julia Fox and Jim Jeffries lighten the otherwise loaded film with some much-needed comic relief. When it works, it works, but the story isn’t always in top form.
Behind the screen, Bobby Krlic’s score throbs beneath surreal visuals, stepping in to energise where the story underwhelms. Krlic also co-produced and co-wrote new songs for the soundtrack, which includes tracks from artists such as Tierra Whack, Maxo Kream, Gucci Mane, Guapdad 4000 and Denzel Curry.
Blood on the Field
From the kickoff, director Justin Tipping wears technique on his sleeve, but there’s also a gleeful madness to his method. The gore factor is high, with Tipping unleashing all the ingenuity and violence his special effects artists can muster.
Depending on your tolerance, that’s either a dealbreaker or part of the fun. The Christ metaphors are loud (the team is literally called the Saviors), as is the social commentary, which squarely grabs the audience by the shoulder pads. Like Get Out, the conversation centres on the horrors of commodifying people — in this case, the way that football grinds down young Black athletes, using their talents for profit. It’s a conversation literalised in ways that are occasionally brilliant but mostly overtly obvious.
Where Get Out is subtly brilliant, HIM hits like a linebacker.
Final Whistle
HIM is a psychologically and visually arresting dive into the choices people make to achieve greatness, and whether that’s all worth it in the end. Executive producer Jordan Peele’s influence is certainly felt here, but holding the film to his standards is perhaps unfair. It’s a Hail Mary pass of a film with an equal chance of landing squarely in the End Zone or squarely in the bleachers, depending on if you’re in position to receive it.
★★★☆☆
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