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 pornography. 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)
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 pornography. 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)