Henry Johnson

Play trailer

1:12

Henry Johnson

2025

1h 25m

Drama

Play Trailer

Watchlist

Watchlist

Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

62%

Tomatometer

37 Reviews

Popcornmeter

Fewer than 50 Ratings

Written and Directed by Pulitzer Prize winner David Mamet, HENRY JOHNSON follows the title character (Evan Jonigkeit) as he navigates his search for a moral center, after an act of compassion upends his life. Looking to authority figures he encounters along the way -- including his eventual cellmate, Gene (Shia LaBeouf) -- Henry's journey leads him down a road of manipulation and ethical uncertainty. The film is an exploration of power, justice and the consequences of letting others choose your path for you.

Watch on Fandango at Home

Stream Now

Critics Consensus

Henry Johnson exhibits David Mamet's penchant for memorable dialogue, delivering a string of terrifically-acted set pieces that can be as punishing for the audience as they are for Evan Jonigkeit's titular character.

Read Critics Reviews

Tim Cogshell

FilmWeek (LAist)

May 19

Compassion breaks the backbone of the "real man". That's the theme here. Look, I love me a whole lot of David Mamet, but... there's a filter here, now. I can see what's going on.

Go to Full Review

Ty Burr

Washington Post

May 9

2/4

The problem with “Henry Johnson” is that we’ve heard it all by now — in fact, we’re living it — and what once felt like a cruel breath of fresh air has acquired the stifling nature of a pose.

Go to Full Review

Glenn Kenny

RogerEbert.com

May 9

3/4

The text might not be vintage Mamet, but it’s a real meal.

Go to Full Review

Perry Norton

Film Threat

Jul 21

7/10

It’s an entertaining piece, and Mamet’s direction is lean and strong, the blocking and montage exquisite. The story does resonate, too, but overall it lacks the superstar qualities of Mamet’s best work.

Go to Full Review

Zach Lewis

In Review Online

Jun 6

For Mamet, hard-headed masculinity, a well poisoned long ago, contains another contradiction: it is inescapable, yet the attempt to escape is always worthy.

Go to Full Review

Frank Swietek

One Guy's Opinion

May 27

B-

Isn’t first-rate Mamet. But it retains a tinge of the power his work once reliably delivered, diluted perhaps but still distinctive.

Go to Full Review

Read all reviews

Robert R

@Robbbb Nov 10

Huge fan of David Mamet. I find his dialogue and cadence to be unique, but also very entertaining. This was a miss, however. The plot and the timeline was disjointed and difficult to follow. Overall, this was a frustrating watch and left me relatively disappointed.

See more

Kristin R.

@igobykristin Nov 8

21 minutes into this movie and I’m left wondering what is even going on. The banter between the two characters is totally unbelievable. It’s as if this 20 minutes is a prelude to what happens next when what we want is the experience to happen in real movie time. I get that this is an adaptation but it’s 2025 and the audience would rather see this on a stage rather than a movie I paid for.

See more

Whiskey R.

@WhiskeyRiver Aug 19

I will not watch this movie based on the fact that this movie trailer is by far the worst I have ever seen. Its the most confusing and surreal mess of utterly ridiculous dialogue and meaningless sh-t probably ever put together for one to see.

See more

Max J

@RT85493322 Jun 15

A great lesson in wisdom that is all the more potent in our present time, delivered through a four course meal of delicious Mamlish, as only he can. This will take time to digest.

See more

Alfredo A

@RT09109740 Jun 9

Great writing and acting, it was as if I went to a live play! Amazing performances, just absolutely awesome! I heard about this movie on the Bad Friends podcast and so happy I did, good stuff.

See more

Laney B

@RT85350771 Jun 6

This movie felt like it was haphazardly thrown together. It was difficult to follow at times and wasn't very good. It had a few good actors but even their skills weren't used well. It could have been well done but was more like a brief after thought.

See more

Read all reviews

Read More

Read Less

WRITE A REVIEW

EDIT REVIEW

POST RATING

David Mamet

Director

Shia LaBeouf

Actor

Chris Bauer

Actor

Evan Jonigkeit

Actor

Dominic Hoffman

Actor

David Mamet

Screenwriter

Joker

68%

89%

Joker

Watchlist

TRAILER

for Joker

Killers of the Flower Moon

93%

84%

Killers of the Flower Moon

Watchlist

TRAILER

for Killers of the Flower Moon

Northern Shade

100%

92%

Northern Shade

Watchlist

Hounds

93%

%

Hounds

Watchlist

TRAILER

for Hounds

Justice

%

%

Justice

Watchlist

Discover more movies and TV shows.

View More

Henry Johnson: Trailer 1

1:12

View more videos

View more photos

Synopsis

Written and Directed by Pulitzer Prize winner David Mamet, HENRY JOHNSON follows the title character (Evan Jonigkeit) as he navigates his search for a moral center, after an act of compassion upends his life. Looking to authority figures he encounters along the way -- including his eventual cellmate, Gene (Shia LaBeouf) -- Henry's journey leads him down a road of manipulation and ethical uncertainty. The film is an exploration of power, justice and the consequences of letting others choose your path for you.

Director: David Mamet
Producer: Lije Sarki, Evan Jonigkeit
Screenwriter: David Mamet
Distributor: 1993
Production Co: 1993
Genre: Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): May 9, 2025, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): May 9, 2025
Runtime: 1h 25m

Most Popular at Home Now