Him Has Style, But Makes Its Points With Blunt Force

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The film *Him* tackles the problematic obsession with football and the physical risks players take, and it does so through the story of Cameron Cade, a dedicated athlete played by Tyriq Withers. Cameron is training for a professional league similar to the NFL when a strange incident on the field threatens his career. Driven by a need to live up to his deceased father’s harsh expectations of masculinity, Cameron refuses to give up. He’s excited to receive an invitation to train with his hero, star quarterback Isaiah White (Marlon Wayans), at White’s secluded desert home.

Veteran player White is nearing the end of his career, while newcomer Cade is quickly rising in the ranks. However, during training in the desert, strange occurrences begin. White subjects the players to bizarre and harsh drills, and Cade starts experiencing unsettling hallucinations – or are they actually happening? Cade finds himself completely at White’s disposal, and simply another young player used by the powerful, predominantly white-led football industry. The story increasingly feels like a lengthy critique of the problems within professional football, and that’s intentional.

The issue with the movie *Him* isn’t its premise. In fact, its originality is one of its few strengths – I haven’t seen another horror film tackling the dark side of American football. The beginning shows potential, introducing Cade, a boy raised in a family obsessed with the sport; his father’s team is even called the Saviors. There are early hints of something sinister surrounding Cade, a mysterious force threatening to consume him. However, as the film progresses, these ideas become overly emphasized and painfully obvious. The script, written by Tipping, Zack Akers, and Skip Bronkie, lays out the movie’s message in an unsubtle way. (Jordan Peele served as a producer.) About halfway through, the father character explicitly states his twisted version of the traditional American values of “God, Family, Football,” prioritizing “Football, Family, God.” His evil intentions are so clear that there’s no room for interpretation.

It’s disappointing, because the film has some interesting visual choices and Withers brings a charming energy to the role of Cade – you really don’t want to see his character become violent. The movie shows the impact of hits in a graphic way, visualizing brains as blurry shapes inside skulls, highlighting how vulnerable players are despite their helmets. Earlier, a character explicitly states that skulls aren’t meant for repeated collisions. The film tends to both *show* and *tell* the same information, which feels redundant. Ultimately, it’s a well-intentioned movie that fails to truly shock or disturb, leaving you feeling unmoved rather than genuinely frightened.

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2025-09-19 21:06