“No guts, no glory” is taken to literal extremes in Him, a blend of sport and horror genres as unlikely as it is unsuccessful. Director Justin Tipping (Kicks) expands on Zack Akers and Skip Bronkie’s original Black List-featured screenplay, which hints at legitimate controversies surrounding the NFL—including the grooming of young men from vulnerable communities and the prevalence of traumatic brain injuries—but posits that the sport’s true evil is influenced by the occult. Produced by Jordan Peele’s Monkeypaw Productions, Him clearly attempts to provide the socially conscious, figuratively couched scares that crowds have somewhat reductively come to expect from the company, but this football horror fumbles any semblance of salient cultural critique.
As long as he can remember, Cam Cade (Tyriq Withers, co-star of the recent I Know What You Did Last Summer remake) has idolized Isaiah White (Marlon Wayans), star quarterback of the San Antonio Saviors. Even after watching Isaiah sustain a gruesome leg injury during a live broadcast as a child, Cam was encouraged by his father to strive for the majors. 14 years later, his moment has finally arrived. Motivated by his now-late father’s favorite saying—”no guts, no glory,” of course—he’s dutifully trained to be the best. In fact, it’s looking like he might soon be drafted to the Saviors, potentially taking over his idol’s position in the process.
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But when Cam is attacked by a crazed fan during a lonely late-night practice session, the blunt force head injury threatens to end his career before it’s even begun. Although the surgical staples have yet to be removed and his brain is still swollen, Cam’s smarmy agent (Tim Heidecker) gets in touch with the unexpected opportunity of a lifetime. Isaiah has personally beckoned the up-and-comer to spend a week at his secluded compound, where he will receive personal guidance from the football veteran and cut his teeth before the upcoming draft at his luxurious facilities.
Yet upon arrival, Cam quickly senses hostility. Even before entering the front door, his car is accosted by Isaiah’s most committed supporters, who act more like zealots than superfans. The GOAT himself comes off as more interested in torturing Cam than training him, abetted by increasingly uncomfortable recovery treatments courtesy of Isaiah’s personal sports physician Marco (Jim Jefferies). The only friendly presence is Elsie (a sparse Julia Fox), Isaiah’s influencer wife, and the cadre of sexy women she keeps in her company.
The tension between this waning heavyweight and the young talent coming for his title is predictable, but the plot to thwart Cam’s takeover is anything but. As opposed to unpacking the real sport’s underlying ugliness, one that perpetuates gross bodily harm and racist recruitment practices, Him trains its gaze on strange supernatural phenomena that don’t meaningfully interact with any of the aforementioned criticisms. Instead, the NFL-adjacent entity that considers Cam a future moneymaker is infiltrated by Satanic pagans in lieu of straightforward capitalist greed. Without spoiling any specific revelations, blood transfusions, body paint, and blistering saunas become emblematic of the conspiratorial entities that monitor Cam’s progress from the shady sidelines. Though there is some success highlighting the innate violence of football—a visual gimmick involves x-ray vision that examines the brain-bashing, bone-breaking injuries sustained by players—the American obsession with this brutal spectacle is never grappled with.
Him‘s heavy-handed Christian imagery does its Satanic aspects no favors. Cinematographer Kira Kelly (known for collaborating with Ava DuVernay) trains her lens on relevant iconography: a gold cross dangles from Cam’s meaty neck; a dinner table scene directly evokes The Last Supper; endless interactions namecheck the big man upstairs. Reading as a milquetoast treatise on the necessity of centering god (i.e., Him) and denouncing the devil’s temptation, this vaguely holy perspective hinders Him from going all-out on the horror front, resulting in a disappointing dearth of scares and carnage.
These surface-level spiritual nods also stand in place of further character development, never reconciling these beliefs with the corruption that comes with the pursuit of fame. Cam falters in his faithful familial obligations, only speaking with his mother during infrequent phone calls; his commitment to a long-term (though virtually unseen) girlfriend wavers with each woman that crosses his sightline; even Isaiah and Elsie’s marital union provides little insight into the oft-superficial nature (and hardly holy lifestyles) of celebrity couples. Conflicting commitments to “football, family, and God” are never fleshed out with a clear perspective, only existing to further the film’s Satanic strawman.
As the final moments of Him unfold, there’s an attempt to drastically course-correct. Previously minor characters flat-out state the nefarious tactics of the American football enterprise, and the previous lack of bloodshed is duly made up for. But it’s a desperate Hail Mary after a poorly played game, without a hope of bailing out the team behind it.
Director: Justin Tipping
Writer: Justin Tipping, Skip Bronkie, Zack Akers
Starring: Marlon Wayans, Tyriq Withers, Julia Fox, Tim Heidecker, Jim Jefferies
Release Date: September 19, 2025
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