Word of mouth on this had me waiting with anticipation to catch this film and seeing the likes of Fairbrass and Burroughs, two actors whose work I follow, were in it, even more so. Fortunately, I wasn't disappointed.
In case you've missed the one sheet MUSCLE is the next film from force of nature director Gerard Johnson, who isn't afraid to tackle subjects of the masculine stereotype and turn them firmly on their head. For the first twenty minutes or so we follow the life of average joe, Simon (Cavan Clerkin giving a superb performance) a man who works in sales and hates his job, shares a house with his girlfriend where the spark of romance, let alone any love, is long since dead. Simon's idea of rekindling their fires is to offer to order a Chinese takeaway, where as the reality is she can no longer stand the sight of him. Feeling unconfident about his body, and wanting to improve his confidence at work Simon opts to join the local gym, where supposed regular trainer Terry (Craig Fairbrass) sees him struggling and offers to take him under his wing. Initially unsure, Simon agrees and is soon improving his health and beefing up but it's too late to placate his girlfriend who leaves him, but as luck would have it Terry needs a place to stay and is soon spicing up his life with sex parties and lines of charlie as thick as tampons but that's just the start of Simon's problems.
Shot in black and white and with its slow brooding pace in the first half, Muscle may well on the surface, not appeal at first, but it truly is a film worth enduring, because the longer you watch it, the more compelling it becomes and you soon find yourself sharing Simon's loss of control. (The no holes barred sex party sequence is certainly not one to watch with your Mum, a cup of tea and a hobnob) Here the stark but beautiful photography by Stuart Bentley serves the narrative well, giving the film a dark and brooding tone as we snatch glimpses of the unwelcoming industrial landscape that coats the fringes of Newcastle city. Simon's entire life feels like somewhere you wouldn't want to but the film feels as though it could be set in a city anywhere that you know. No shots of the iconic bridge to be seen here, just bleak industrial smoke stacks and bleak run down streets.
The characters that inhabit this world which I've personally had one foot in myself, I can assure you, are all too real and Lorraine Burroughs is almost completely unrecognisable as Crystal, the real power behind Terry's fear earned throne. This character was all too familiar to me and Burroughs nailed her completely. But it is Craig Fairbrass who is the power house engine that propels the narrative of this movie. He's more terrifying here than in any other role. While the character of Terry may, in some respects feel familiar to some of his more well known roles, here Fairbrass plays the insecure man with a deep level of complexity not previously seen before. At one point you nearly feel sorry for him, unable to connect or trust people and rejected by those he loves, only to learn that he too is under a spell of his own. The film is worth watching for the performances of the leads alone.
The only thing that let it down for me was the Police station scene where Simon finally goes to make his complaint. The scene with the officer felt out of touch with the modern world and It just wouldn't have been handled as portrayed because of new regulations to handle such a complaint. I found that took me out of the reality of this world a little bit but fortunately the temptation to take this thread further was resisted. As others have said the ending was perhaps a little unsatisfying, but always leave people wanting more eh? If they make a sequel, I will certainly be there to watch it. Recommended.
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