Last year, almost to the day, we caught Muscle at a festival and have been waiting it for it to be unleashed on audiences. Well, it looks like that time has come as the psychological thriller from filmmaker Gerard Johnson (Hyena) will debut in UK cinemas, on demand, and on digital from 4th December through Dazzler Media.
Synopsis: From acclaimed writer-director Gerard Johnson (Hyena, Tony) comes a psychological thriller that’s dripping in sweat, tears and testosterone…
Muscle is the story of Simon (Cavan Clerkin, The Last Kingdom, The Capture) an unhappy, unambitious office worker whose life is gradually taken over by Terry (Craig Fairbrass, Villain, Rise of the Footsoldier) his new, hands-on personal trainer who reveals himself to be more committed, and more dangerous, than Simon could have ever imagined. Simon isn’t living the life he wants. He’s tired of his dead-end job at a call centre – and he isn’t even any good at it. He and his girlfriend are painfully drifting apart, he’s sick of his life and it’s time to make a change and hit the gym. But everything spins out of control when he draws the attention of Terry, who offers to coach him, and quickly becomes his boss, friend and roommate. Soon, Simon finds himself trapped in a self-destructive spiral with every aspect of his life resting in Terry’s hands, and no way out.
This is what I had to say of Muscle just after seeing it:
From the outset, Muscle is a totally absorbing, uttering impressive piece of work. The black and white palette of Stuart Bentley’s cinematography perfectly compliments the grittiness of the narrative with heavily saturated monotones, small depth of field focus and controlled but documentary-style approach.
One of the biggest attributes of the film is the acting on display, particularly from its two leads. Cavan Clerkin is excellent as Simon, and his transformation from shrinking violet office worker in the opening scenes through to shaven-headed, Viking-bearded bodybuilder in the scenes that follow, carried off with not only physical changes but also subtle moves and mild mannerisms in how he holds himself on-screen. He is brilliant.
The star of the show though is Craig Fairbrass in a career-best performance; a role that he has clearly relished playing. He throws himself into the part, a deeply layered character performance which literally engulfs the screen. It is an exceptional piece of acting.
You can check out my full review of the film here. The new trailer and poster are both below.
