Henry Johnson

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1:12

Henry Johnson

2025

1h 25m

Drama

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Popcornmeter

62%

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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.

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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.

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Tim Cogshell

FilmWeek (LAist)

May 19, 2025

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.

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Ty Burr

Washington Post

May 9, 2025

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.

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Glenn Kenny

RogerEbert.com

May 9, 2025

3/4

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

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Perry Norton

Film Threat

Jul 21, 2025

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.

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Zach Lewis

In Review Online

Jun 6, 2025

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

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Frank Swietek

One Guy's Opinion

May 27, 2025

B-

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

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Robert R

@Robbbb Nov 10, 2025

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.

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Kristin R.

@igobykristin Nov 8, 2025

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.

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Max J

@RT85493322 Jun 15, 2025

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.

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Alfredo A

@RT09109740 Jun 9, 2025

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.

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Laney B

@RT85350771 Jun 6, 2025

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.

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D S

@DSONDOR Jun 5, 2025

Mamet lost his edge a long time ago. This is just pathetic. The only shining part about this is LaBeouf, who is always great in everything he attempts. This is just the same ole same ole nonsense Mamet, no one talks that way, no one generalizes and emphasizes and pontificates like this in real life. Is it an art piece? A political statement? A supposed poet's dream? Give me a break. Mamet and Sorkin seem to plumb the same depths of yammering. I couldn't finish it.

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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

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