Plot
In a city, where mega pharmaceutical company BTH is poisoning its city residents and making them sick with cancer – a rogue employee JJ is trying to out them to the press.
BTH CEO Bob Garbinger, who owes money to a mobster to keep the company afloat, enlists his ghoulish brother Fritz to keep JJ from getting too close to leaking the truth. Fritz hires death metal band (and assassins) Killer Nutz to stop her.
Meanwhile janitor at BTH, Winston Gooze has just been diagnosed with his own form of fatal cancer, not long after his wife died of her own. Now with the prospect of leaving a step son alone, he decides to rob BTH – but in doing so he is shot in the head by Killer Nutz and dumped into a vat toxic sludge.
However Winston doesn’t die – instead he is transformed into a mutant, dubbed Toxie – and he goes on a warpath to ‘help the helpless’ and stop BTH once and for all.
Cast/Characters
Peter Dinklage plays Winston Gooze, showcasing his talent for comedy after years of playing in dramatic roles. The second half of the film in which Toxie is on screen – Dinklages’ voice is present, however the physical work is done by Luisa Guerreiro.
Jacob Tremblay plays Wade, Winston’s step son, who helps his ‘dad’ defeat the corrupt business.
Taylour Paige plays JJ. She seemingly delivers in all the projects I’ve seen her in (Ma Rainey, Beverly Hills Cop 4).
Kevin Bacon hams it up as always as the standard bad guy Bob Garbinger.
Elijah Wood is a lot of fun, and almost unrecognisable as Fritz GArbinger.
Breakdown
Directed by Marcon Blair (who I have not come across yet), it has a Grindhouse vibe to it, with a dirty sinister world that you would not want to live in.
Kevin Bacon’s Bob is set up early as the villain, and he hams it up as always. There is one moment early on (when cancer stricken Winston asks him for help – as his insurance won’t cover his treatment). This gives the audience a very brief… ‘maybe he’s not so bad after all’ – and does a 180 to show who he really is.
Bob is also in deep debt to a loan shark mobster, Thad, whose son Spence is trying to wrong those in the city too.
Winston becomes ‘Toxie’ well into proceedings of the film (to give Dinklage ample screen time) – and quickly becomes a ‘hero’ of sorts (not before a hilarious first attack – on Spence – where the mob mentality comes out to play).
Filmed in 2021, it is actually more accurate to making fun of ‘political correctness’ in a 2025/2026 timeline than when it was filmed. The play on preferred pronouns and the change of business names (Mr Meats/Miss Meats etc) is very funny.
The violence when it does happen is very violent, as Toxie’s mop is able to wipe half someone’s head clean off at times.
The finale is fun, where Bob and his assistant both transform themselves into monsters too, and have fights with both Toxie and JJ.
At 102m it is a “little” long – including an arc where Wade is kidnapped by Bob etc at the end of the second act.
Overall
Fun horror comedy – with an update on the films from the 1980s (will have to put on my watch list!).
Good performances from Dinklage, Bacon and Wood. A little long at times, and takes some time to really get going.
Fun film if you don’t want to think too hard on anything. Fairly forgettable as well.
3/5
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