Some movies feel like they’ve been built around a killer idea that simply doesn’t survive once the lights go down. Him is one of those films. It has all the ingredients for a creepy, genre-bending sports thriller: a promising young player invited into the inner circle of a living football legend, an isolated training compound with a cult-like aura, and the whisper of something sinister pulsing underneath the promise of greatness. What’s delivered, though, is more of a scrimmage than a full game.
The story follows Cameron Cade (Tyriq Withers), a talented athlete still reeling from a devastating injury. When Isaiah White (Marlon Wayans), the celebrated quarterback of the San Antonio Saviors, offers to mentor him, Cameron jumps at the chance. But instead of training Sessions that push him toward glory, Cameron finds himself caught in an unsettling blur of drills, cryptic speeches, and mounting paranoia. The deeper he goes into Isaiah’s world, the less clear it becomes whether he’s chasing a dream or walking into a nightmare.
At first glance, this setup should be tense. Unfortunately, the film keeps falling back on its own formula. Scenes that should boost suspense end up repeating until they lose their impact, and dialogue relies so much on buzzwords like “sacrifice” and “greatness” that it sounds like background noise. Instead of building to something sharp and terrifying, the movie stumbles forward, more focused on appearing intense than actually being it.
To be fair, there are moments when the film shows promise. The visuals sometimes capture the chaos of the sport with raw energy, and the camera work immerses you in Cameron’s disoriented headspace. Wayans, too, delivers a surprisingly layered performance—his Isaiah is both magnetic and terrifying, and whenever he’s on screen, the movie briefly comes to life. Withers is willing to do the physicality needed, though his character is written so thin that it’s hard for him to stand out.
However, flashes of style and a dedicated cast can’t hide the fact that Him never quite knows what it wants to say. Instead of exploring the darker truths of football culture or fully embracing its horror premise, it loops around the field and runs out of time. The final result isn’t a total disaster, but it’s close.