Muscle

I was interested in seeing this because i had heard about Craig Fairbrass; performance and was also a fan of directors Gerard Johnson previous two efforts (Hyena and Tony) Fairbrass is good as the alpha male who manipulates beta male cavan clerkin who's at a cross roads in his life and needs an urgent change. There is some superb cinematography in the movie and i thought the black and white effect really worked, the only gripe is i thought the end was a bit of an anti climax, the last ten minutes were tense but filtered into nothing.

Absolutely no point to the film. It never got going and I've wasted time I'll never get back. I've never written a review before but honestly how rotten tomatoes gave 100% makes me feel that there's definitely something shifty going on. My advice.... don't waste your time. Gutted

Let down by the people who give this film 9/10 who obvious had something to do with the making of this utter bore feast of a film ,if you can sit through this film without putting your foot though the screen you are brain dead or from some other planet got to rank up with the most boring and uninteresting films ever mage god only knows what was going through the minds of the people who made this .....thing

Muscle' finally hits UK shelves (after a 2 year wait) I'm not entirely sure if this was down to distribution, budget, Covid or editing.....Either circumstance could explain the abrupt ending and eleventh hour tonal-shift? When a aimless forty-something tele-sales worker, Paul decides to join the local gym, he is soon approached by a larger-than-life trainer, Terry (who offers to take our protagonist under his wing) but from the outset appears to have a sinister agenda? Minus a few details, that's pretty much the plot in a nutshell....and it's in the movies first half, that the characters, dialogue and scenarios feel hyper-realistic. Every little touch rings true and because you know from the outset it's all going to end in tears, the impending (largely implied) 'dread' is almost unbearable, helped along nicely by the black & white photography, destorted (James Wong Howe-style) visuals and a cracking hypnotic soundtrack....Think 'Seconds' (1966) but without the body-swapping. Alas though, somewhere past the midway mark, such carefully orchestrated threat is replaced with outright menace and *. Which is a crying shame, because the performances (Fairbrass, especially) are first rate. The earlier scenes at the gym (nervous glances in mirrors from members both old and new....feel TOO honest) deftly highlight the vanity and insercurity of all those that frequent such establishments.. Most want to change themselves for the better...and some aren't what they appear to be. It's an interesting, fresh observation, but, not unlike a punishing work-out, it runs out of steam near the end. It's a shame that the film-makers didn't trust it's audience to correlate the time-honoured 'thin-line' between uber-masculinity and homosexuality (without litterally having it spelt out for them) sometimes less is more....and it's a shame that this movie didn't follow it's own message (and reigned it in a touch) The tonal-shift is telling. As it stands though, for most of it's running time, 'Muscle' is still a powerhouse of a movie, that might have benefitted from implying more than it actually shows. The 'hardcore' sex scenes did little to further the plot (but I guess controversy sells?) Fairbrass should capitalise on the fact that he's much scarier when 'playing it nice' and could easily move up a rung or two in Hollywood as a genuine pressence (as opposed to just playing thugs and bullies) He works much better in the earlier half (a combination of Ben Kingsley's 'Don Logan' mixed with Paddy Consindine's 'Morell') before (sadly) descending into shouty, drug-dealing 'Pat Tate' territory in the final third. Still highly recommended (despite an unresolved ending and descent into outright theatrics in the final third)

The movie is very atmospheric and gritty. The soundtrack is very good. The acting is strong. But script decisions in the 3rd act are a complete letdown. I feel robbed of a final confrontation that never materialized. I appreciate ambiguity and open-ended situations but this one was just ridiculous and weird for the sake of being weird. For the record, I believe that Terry/Trevor was real and not imaginary. This is not a Fight Club situation but the writers simply didn't know how to end the film; they painted themselves into a corner and it all ended with a whimper and not a bang. Unsatisfying and not in a good way.

This is a good little movie. I've seen the same kind of story before, but still not in a version told like this. I liked it and I know these people, from the real world. There are many of them out there. It had me interested from beginning to the end. It's filmed in black & white, or that kind of style. For me personally I would have had it in colors. But still, I get why the director wanted it. It gets that grit look all over it. It's easy for many to relate to this movie. We have either been there or know someone who has. It's interesting how things like these in the movie, are related to each other. Give it a go! I liked it and it's worth watching. I'll give it a good 7/10

I find the film a bit disappointing because the story ends abruptly without any resolution. The final fifteen minutes create so many questions that are not answered.

Craig Fairbrass gives a compelling performance in Muscle He plays The Dark And Overpowering Terry. Best friend one minute then a man you would not trust with your kitten Craig Fairbrass moves away from normal movies that he has done excellently before and gives a first class performance.Watch it you will not be dissapointed 10/10

Simon (Cavan Clerkin ) lives a mundane life as a telemarketer. He passes by a gym and decides to beef up a little. There he meets Terry (Craig Fairbrass) who agrees to train him. Simon takes steroids and eventually loses his wife and job. I was confused about the photographs he took to the police that were "serious." I thought they were of people having consensual sex. I am not sure why he went there which ruined an otherwise boring film in black and white. Guide: F-word, sex, nudity.