Hello and welcome to this week’s edition of Movie Reviews 2025 which is brought to you from a very dusty stretch of track, where brisk walking is not only encouraged, it is essential! Failure to keep moving will result in a slap on the wrist, as well as a stern telling off using the words “very disappointed” and “could do better.”
Sounds harsh, doesn’t it? Well, it’s not as harsh as the punishment dished out in new dystopian horror-thriller, The Long Walk. Failure to keep moving in this film results in death!
Want to know more? Then you can read all about it below.
You’ll also find reviews for new crime-thriller, Caught Stealing, and action sequel, Ice Road: Vengeance. Plus this week there’s an anniversary celebration for classic ‘90s comedy, To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything! Julie Newmar.
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In cinemas…
Caught Stealing (2025)
First up this week is the action crime -thriller, Caught Stealing. Directed by Darren Aronofsky, written by Charlie Huston and based on his book of the same name, the movie stars Austin Butler, Regina King, Zoë Kravitz, Matt Smith, Liev Schreiber, Vincent D’Onofrio, and Carol Kane, and tells the story of a bartender who gets mixed up with the criminal underworld.
In the film, the year is 1998 and in the Lower East Side of New York, Henry ‘Hank’ Thompson is working in a local bar. Once upon a time, Hank was going places and was set to be a star baseball player, but following a tragic accident his ball career was cut short and now he works nights, lives in a rundown apartment block, and has become dependent on alcohol.
Only three things matter to Hank: His love of baseball, his love for his girlfriend, and his love for his mother. The latter he calls every single day on the telephone, maintaining some consistency in his life.
One night, while at home in his apartment, Hank crosses paths with two Russian mobsters. The pair are looking for Hank’s neighbour who owes them some money, but when they have no luck, they turn their attention to Hank in a very violent way.
Putting Hank in hospital, he is left in a bad way and fearing for his safety. However, as Hank soon discovers, his hospital visit was merely the tip of the iceberg and soon he gets mixed up guns, gangsters, and some gosh darn drama.
If you’ve been itching for a good action crime-thriller for a while now, and you’ve become tired of all the middle-of-the-road dross served up on streaming, then you need to get yourself off to the cinema to take a look at Caught Stealing. Darren Aronofsky’s latest picture is top notch stuff, which boasts a great cast, as well as a wickedly entertaining narrative.
The story might sound like a fairly straightforward tale about a guy getting mixed up with goons, and to be fair it is, but it’s the way in which the story is unspooled which really hits a home run. Caught Stealing is one of those movies that just keeps throwing out curve ball after curve ball, escalating the drama, as well as the action to keep things interesting.
Just when you think Hank’s situation couldn’t get any worse, somehow it does. Despite his best efforts to resolve his problems, new wrinkles keep appearing, taking him from one bad scenario to the next, and it’s thrilling to watch.
It’s also dangerous stuff. The mobsters in this film play for keeps, and if Hank doesn’t do what he’s told, or at least have a good exit strategy, his life and the life of those he holds dear could be forfeit.
Leading the picture in the role of Hank is Austin Butler who is superb. Butler brings an all-American charm to the part, plays Hank as a decent chap, and with his good looks and charisma you can’t help be champion him.
Hank experiences some truly awful things throughout the film and Butler has to convey a range of emotions as a result. He nails every scene, remains likeable at every turn, and never drops the ball.
The same can be said for the supporting cast, (King, Kravitz, Schreiber, D’Onofrio et al), who really understand the picture they are making and give it their all. Caught Stealing moves from drama, to thriller, to comedy, as well as one or two things in between, and the cast are all able to pivot when the movie pivots to ensure a consistent tone.
The end result is a thoroughly satisfying picture and one which feels very reminiscent of a ‘90s action-thriller (Pulp Fiction, Fight Club, etc). This is the sort of movie that would have done well at the cinema back in the day, but would have also done equally well on a Saturday night down Blockbuster.
Slick direction, a strong script, and Butler providing a terrific performance result in a triumphant film. Caught Stealing is jolly good stuff and then some!
No doubt it’ll get a little overlooked, as it is playing in cinemas during the post-summer/pre-Halloween period, but if crime pictures are your thing be sure to seek it out. Caught Stealing is now playing in UK and US cinemas.
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Now streaming…
Ice Road: Vengeance (2025)
Over to streaming now for the action sequel, Ice Road: Vengeance. Written and directed by Jonathan Hensleigh, and starring Liam Neeson, Fan Bingbing, and Bernard Curry, the movie picks up after the events of 2021’s The Ice Road with Mike McCann fighting for his life up a mountain!
In the movie, seasoned trucker and expert mountain climber, Mike is struggling since the death of his brother, Gurty. Determined to move forward, he sets out to fulfil Gurty’s dying wish.
Only problem is, the wish is bloody stupid. His brother wants his ashes scattered up Mount Everest (!!!), so Mike sets off to Nepal to complete his request.
Upon arrival, Mike hops on a tour bus and gets set for one last adventure. But things soon go south when the bus is hijacked and Mike is drawn into a fight for survival.
Remember what I said above about middle-of-the-road dross? Well, Ice Road: Vengeance sits firmly in this category.
This is yet another bog-standard Liam Neeson action film, where Neeson is dropped into a generic story to act tough and kick some ass. This time around he’s on a bus in Nepal.
There are scenes with Neeson riding the bus; scenes with him driving the bus; and scenes with him quipping on the bus. All-in-all, this is a very bus-heavy movie.
In fact, it’s possible the bus gets more screen time than Neeson. Either way, if you like Neeson and buses, you might find something to enjoy in Ice Road: Vengeance.
As for everyone else, this is rubbish. The story is piss-poor, the script is filled with clichés, and the scenes of spectacle are crap (and few and far between).
Worst of all? Not much happens.
Heck, there’s a scene where Neeson’s character, Mike, is injured and he has to lie down for a bit. One can only imagine this scene was written into the film when Neeson read the script and started to nod off from boredom.
Anyway, Ice Road: Vengeance is not very good. Should you wish to avoid it, it’s now streaming on Amazon Prime Video.
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Anniversary Focus…
To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything! Julie Newmar (1995)
On to something far more entertaining now, because it’s the bloody brilliant road comedy, To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything! Julie Newmar. This month the movie celebrates 30 years of being awesome, and if you’ve never watched this classic from 1995, it’s high time you had a ruddy good word with yourself!
Directed by Beeban Kidron, and starring Patrick Swayze, Wesley Snipes, John Leguizamo, and Stockard Channing, To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything! Julie Newmar follows the story of three drag queens on a trip to Hollywood. Two of the queens, Vida Boheme and Noxeema Jackson, are set to compete in the prestigious Drag Queen of America pageant, while inexperienced queen, Chi-Chi Rodriguez is invited to join them.
Along the way, the terrific trio encounter a bigoted cop with horrid intentions, before experiencing car trouble. This car trouble brings them to the small town of Snydersville, where they make an unexpected pit stop before getting back on the road.
But Vida, Noxeema, and Chi-Chi spend a little longer in Snydersville than they planned. They also spend time with the locals, who come to see the beauty behind all the makeup.
There are many, many reasons to watch To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything! Julie Newmar, from the brilliant cast, including standout turns from Swayze and Snipes, to the sickening soundtrack and the witty lines, but the film’s heart is its greatest strength. To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything! Julie Newmar is a feel-good movie about love, kindness, and being seen, and in 2025 it couldn’t be more relevant.
At the centre of the story are three queens who have no beef with anyone, and who simply want to attend a pageant because it makes them happy to do so. There’s no malice, no hidden agenda, and certainly no hate, only good vibes and positivity.
However, their trip takes an unexpected turn when they meet a hostile cop, and they end up in Snydersville. Far from home, and definitely out of their comfort zone, they are met with a dilemma: Go back in the closest through fear of being hurt, or embrace their fabulousness and spread their uplifting outlook in the hope it catches on.
They of course choose the latter (as they should) and soon they are raising the townsfolk up. Whether it’s helping a battered wife fight back against her abusive husband, or giving a silent woman back her voice, Vida, Noxeema, and Chi-Chi share their power for the greater good.
And in doing so they share an important message of inclusivity. There’s no room for hostility, or hurt, or for holding people back – just engage in a respectful way, so that everyone in the room is included.
In recent times, and often fuelled by social media (something we’d all be better off ignoring), there has become a growing hostility towards minority groups, and especially towards drag queens and the trans community. Watching To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything! Julie Newmar is a nice reminder this sort of nonsense wasn’t tolerated back in ‘95 and it won’t be tolerated in ‘25 either.
When the movie made its debut it was bold, it was different, and established stars such as Swayze and Snipes took big steps in their career. However, the movie was embraced for its fabulousness, as well as its forward-thinking attitude, and no one can overlook what it achieved then or what it continues to teach now.
Good deeds matter, as do good people, irrespective of how they dress. As Stockard Channing’s character, Carol Ann puts it in the movie: “Vida, I do not think of you as a man and I do not think of you as a woman. I think of you as an angel.”
Well said. Well said indeed.
Should you wish to watch To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything! Julie Newmar, the movie is available on DVD, Blu-ray, and on video-on-demand platforms. Be sure to remind yourself how much of a treat this film truly is.
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In cinemas…
The Long Walk (2025)
And finally, new to UK and US cinemas this week is dark, dystopian survival-thriller, The Long Walk. Directed by JT Mollner and based on a Stephen King novel, the movie stars Cooper Hoffman, David Jonsson, Garrett Wareing, Charlie Plummer, Ben Wang, Judy Greer, and Mark Hamill, and focuses on a deadly walking contest.
In the film, the US is economically screwed. Following a war, money and resources are in short supply and there is mass poverty and unemployment.
To lift moral, and to supposedly inspire hope, the totalitarian government hold an annual walking contest. Every year, 50 young men enter, each with the aim of winning a vast fortune, as well as being granted one wish.
The rules to the contest are simple. Each participant must walk at a pace of three miles per hour.
Failure to maintain this pace will result in a ten second warning. The participants are given three warnings before being executed.
The winner of the contest is the last man standing. There is no set finish line.
As you can see from the premise above, The Long Walk keeps things very simple. Fifty young men embark on a lengthy walk, with death chasing their tail, and survival is all that matters.
It’s this easy-to-follow premise which makes The Long Walk extremely compelling. There’s no complications, no pointless flourishes, just a collection of rules to follow, as well as a set of characters whose number begins to dwindle over the course of the film.
Some are essentially background players, and gun fodder, while others are more important to the story. However, all are vital for emphasising how dark this picture is and how utterly hopeless the situation becomes.
The Long Walk is bleak and it’s brutal. It’s also very good.
The film’s narrative about disheartened youths being paraded across the American landscape, all in the name of patriotism, does not get lost. Nor does its emotional core, or its harsh realism.
At the centre of the story is a troubling reality: We could all end up in this situation. With political unrest, war(s) on the horizon, and more and more people struggling financially, there’s always the possibility this kind of thing could happen.
As such, the simple premise becomes a terrifying prospect. The more you watch, the more you hope this scenario never comes to pass.
However, the more you watch, the more you become invested. The film provides ample time for character development, to ensure many of the deaths really hit hard, and it’s clear from the start the contest will run out eventually, even if the road doesn’t.
Leading the film is a great cast, with Cooper Hoffman, David Jonsson, and Charlie Plummer particularly highlights. Hoffman and Jonsson play characters you want to root for, Plummer less so, but all nail their parts and sell the heck out of their dire situation.
And then there is Mark Hamill, who plays the role of chief villain, The Major. Hamill gets limited screen time, but he really doesn’t need more, as he manages to convey everything you need to know about his character with just a look and a few lines, and it turns The Major into one of the most frightening adversaries this year.
With its social, economical, and harrowing commentary, The Long Walk is a brilliant picture – and the sort of film Hollywood needs to be focusing more on. Not necessarily bleak, dystopian stories (let’s not give Hollywood the wrong idea), but movies which are intriguing, different, and don’t get bogged down in lore, or multiverses, or too many ideas.
Sometimes straightforward storytelling is all that’s needed. The Long Walk understands this and is all the better for it.
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Movie of the Week
Onto Movie of the Week and this week the title is getting split two ways, because why not? As such, the Movies of the Week are To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything! Julie Newmar, and The Long Walk.
To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything! Julie Newmar is a classic movie which the world needs to be reminded of right now, while The Long Walk is a new tale which offers a terrifying look at a future we should all hope we never see.
If you like To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything! Julie Newmar you may also like:
- Connie and Carla (2004) – Mid-00’s crime-comedy about two entertainers who dress as drag queens to hide from hit men.
- The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert (1994) – Aussie road comedy about two drag queens and a transgender woman who journey across the Australian outback.
- Dirty Dancing (1987) – Iconic Patrick Swayze movie about a young woman and a dance instructor who embark on a romance at a holiday camp.
And if you like The Long Walk you may also like:
- I Am Legend (2007) – The Long Walk director Francis Lawrence helms this post-apocalyptic action horror starring Will Smith.
- The Running Man (1987) – Arnold Schwarzenegger stars in this Stephen King action-thriller about a man forced to take part in a reality TV show.
- Civil War (2024) – Dystopian action-thriller about a team of journalists travelling across the US during a period of civil war.
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Forthcoming attractions
And that’s your lot for this week. But coming soon Marlon Wayans and Tyriq Withers embark on the pursuit of excellence (at any cost) in sports horror, Him; Corey Hawkins and Willem Dafoe get caught up in rental shenanigans in horror-thriller, The Man in My Basement; and director Renny Harlin unveils his horror sequel, The Strangers – Chapter 2.
And if horror isn’t quite your thing, don’t worry, on the horizon is a new docu-movie about the late, great comedic actor, John Candy. The movie will land on streaming next month titled John Candy: I Like Me.
Alex
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