Film Review: HIM (2025): Even A Dedicated Marlon Wayans Performance Can’t Save This Bloody Mess of a Film

Him Review

Him (2025) Film Review, a movie directed by Justin Tipping, written by Zack Akers, Skip Bronkie and Justin Tipping and starring Marlon Wayans, Tyriq Withers, Julia Fox, Tim Heidecker, Jim Jefferies, Naomi Grossman, Gabriela Alicia Ortega, Alana Nguyen, Don Benjamin, Chase Garland, Maurice Greene, Norman Towns, Kiara Gomez Glad Bak, Indira G. Wilson, Richard Lippert and Jackie Suerth.

Him, directed by Justin Tipping, is a prime example of an excellent idea being executed poorly. Tyriq Withers is the star of the film. He plays Cameron Cade, a man who dreams to be the best football player of all-time and has the talent to back himself up. Marlon Wayans portrays a pro named Isaiah White who has demonstrated that he also has what it takes to go all the way. After Cameron suffers a head injury, the stakes get much higher as he must fight to secure what he wants most in life against formidable odds. This is a good concept, but the execution lacks agency for much of the film’s running time, thus the result is a wild mess that truly comes alive at the end. However, it’s an example of too little, too late.

Wayans is clearly working to ability and beyond here with a powerfully rendered turn as Isaiah. This character is raw, fierce and physically strong. Isaiah takes Cameron under his wing in a boot camp of sorts where Cameron will learn the cost of the career he wants to obtain and, perhaps, die trying to achieve it.

Cameron is displayed as a family man. He’s not tempted to stray from the love of his life as Isaiah gives Cameron the opportunity to be with beautiful strippers and to engage in sex with them. Cameron is also suffering from an injury that has left his head marked so that we know his weak spot. He’s taking on way too much in trying to be the best, but he believes he’s capable of it as he hangs out with strange folks who frequent Isaiah’s surroundings.

Julia Fox (cast against type) co-stars as a wickedly deceptive lady, Elsie White, who is Isaiah’s wife and looks either out of place in this film or on her way to a rave at a local club. Either way, Fox does what she can with this thankless role and tries to make it more substantial than it actually is on the pages of the screenplay.

Withers is determined in his role as his character fights hard for the dream of being the best. There are twists and turns in the plot that are unveiled slowly, though, and the movie doesn’t always keep the viewer engrossed in the action. We want to see what’s going to happen, but the way the movie plays out, you may wish you could fast-forward some of the requisite training scenes that are over-the-top at times and, occasionally, dull to watch.

Marlon Wayans bites deep into his role as he plays the no-nonsense athlete/trainer who is definitely going to see to it that Cameron either gets what he wants in his career or loses it at a great cost. Wayans is downright frightening, especially in a scene set in a sauna and during the last confrontation sequences of the movie, the end results of which I wouldn’t dream of giving away. Wayans has some good dialogue such as in a scene where he reveals when he realized that other people wanted to do what he dreamt of doing his whole life.

The supporting cast isn’t bad. Tim Heidecker ably plays Tom, a wimpy professional behind-the-scenes man who faces his worst nightmare at the end of the picture when coming into conflict with a very pissed off Cameron. Richard Lippert is certainly creepily effective as the owner of the team that Cameron wants to play for.

Look, Him has a rough and tough last ten minutes or so. I would say that by the time the ending revealed the real situation that was unfolding for Cameron and Isaiah, the movie did become a bit interesting. There are too many slow spots, though, and a slew of odd scenarios that don’t make that much sense until you know the major twists that come towards the climax of the picture.

Him is ultimately undermined by too much blood splattering all over the place at the end. What started as a potentially compelling story becomes a flat-out bloodbath that makes the movie feel way too fictionalized for its own good. There is a great premise at the core of Him, but the movie needed to work out the logistics of the plot in such a way that getting to the chosen ending would be anticipated in some way, shape or form. When taking the events that occur early on in the film at face value, the movie sells the audience short. Him is an over-the-top mess that has its moments but should have been much more well thought-out in the story department. Wayans is strong, but I’m not recommending the film.

Rating: 5.5/10

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