HIM – Review

Cert – 18, Run-time – 1 hour 36 minutes, Director – Justin Tipping

After an attack leads him to fail a major trial, Cameron Cade (Tyriq Withers) is given another chance by training at eight-time championship quarterback Isaiah White’s (Marlon Wayans) compound, where everything may not be as it seems.

Whilst training to make it to one of the most decorated football teams in recent times, the San Antonio Saviors, rising star Cameron Cade is expecting to develop his skills and grow over a short space of time, having been given one week to train with eight-time championship quarterback Isaiah White (Marlon Wayans) at his compound. You’d expect the horror, or at least narrative, of HIM to escalate in a similar way, yet with each day that passes – emphasised with a screen-filling chapter title – however it consistently feels to be on the same level from start to finish with little increase.

The workings of Isaiah’s compound appear to be off-kilter, although it’s difficult for Cameron to put his finger on what it is as he’s welcomed in so quickly. Practices such as preserving high-oxygen blood for when you have a big game are largely passed off as long-held secrets for continued excellence – Isaiah had an injury early in his professional career that many said would end it, but came back strong and is still playing 14 years later, with some saying he’s getting near the point of having the move on and let the next generation in, of which Cameron might be. Photographers appear to jump out of the corridors and weapon-wielding mascots hang in the background of visions. While much is explained in the final stages these points feel as if they’re left alone and could do with some more context, especially as they otherwise stand out from the other threats at hand.

While Marlon Wayans does a good job of growing the strange and threatening behaviours of his character the horror comes less from him alone and more the darkness and bloody bursts in the compound. However, scary isn’t what best describes the horror throughout as the dips are more freaky than anything else. While the un-rising state of the drama and tension holds things back, the final ten minutes earn the 18-rating but would perhaps seem more manic if built-up to better, there’s not anything boring or frustrating here. And indeed director Justin Tipping brings some interesting ideas into the mix.

Occasionally as bodies collide during practice, or injuries are sustained and emphasised the camera’s view switches to look like an X-ray monitor. Capturing the fracturing skeletons and outlines of the figures on-screen before suddenly cutting to see the external aftermath of the event. These shots bring something to the film that isn’t quite present throughout the rest of the run-time, and I would have liked to have seen them used more. They bring in a livelier nature which briefly dig in to some of the points that appear to be trying to be established with the hidden behaviours of Wayans’ character.

HIM manages to hold its head above water, and there are some interesting ideas dotted throughout where Tipping and co-writers Skip Bronkie and Zack Akers properly get into the strange workings of the training week that Withers’ central character embarks on in order to prove himself as the next great quarterback. Not everything clicks, or perhaps grows as it should, but there are still enough beats that create interest beyond what’s happening centrally to help things move along.

While failing to raise tension and not always landing the fear factor, there’s enough interest within HIM, thanks to certain moments of visual flair, to see things through for a watchable, if not always fully effective, time.