No pain, no gain. The action movie genre is ready to grab a particular horror trope by the throat and run with it as this upcoming thriller brings shootouts and fist-fights, all wrapped up in a classic tale of revenge, to the realm of found footage.
Following the huge success of The Blair Witch Project back in 1999, horror has taken the reins of found footage (and continues to do so to this day), with the likes of such horror classics such as Paranormal Activity, Rec, and Cloverfield proving how well the approach can work. While there have been some outliers, like the sci-fi movie Chronicle, the crime thriller outing End of Watch, and the teen comedy Project X, action has largely left well alone. Until now.
Thanks to the low-budget efforts of director James Cullen Bressack, audiences will get closer to the action thrills than ever in The Workout, which follows an Army Ranger who embarks on a mission of vengeance when his wife is murdered. Starring Peter Jae (Blackhat, Darkness of Man), Augie Duke (Mayans M.C., Yellowjackets), Josh Kelly (Transformers: Dark of the Moon), Galadriel Stineman (Murder, Anyone?), David Lawrence (Trauma Therapy, Darkness of Man), Ashlee Evens-Smith (Lola), and Kristos Andrews (Survive the Game), The Workout debuted at Fantastic Fest and was given a limited theatrical back in August. The found-footage action thriller is now set to hit VOD and Blu-ray on October 28, 2025. In the meantime, you can check out the trailer and synopsis below…
“In this intense found footage action film, two army rangers set out to create a workout video, but their plans are abruptly halted when a mob hit interrupts their filming. Tragically, one of the rangers loses his wife in the attack, sending him on a relentless mission to take down the mob and anyone who stands in his way.”
Director James Cullen Bressack, who wrote the script for The Workout alongside David Josh Lawrence, has previously worked with several action movie icons, including Bruce Willis, Jean-Claude Van Damme, Mel Gibson, and Steven Seagal. Unashamedly wearing its low-budget origins on its blood-soaked sleeve, The Workout has been met with divisive reviews from critics, though many praised the action outing for opening the door for more unique uses of the found-footage technique.
“The Workout carves out its own identity with grit and heart. It’s an Imperfect film, but it’s a reminder that bold swings are what keep genre filmmaking alive. For fans willing to meet it halfway, it remains an enjoyable ride,” said Linda Marric of HeyUGuys, whose review has been compiled on Rotten Tomatoes, leading to a divisive 58%. “The Workout is an entertaining and thrilling action film that makes good use of found footage as a style, making the most of every way to shoot a film,” adds Emilie Black of Cinema Crazed.
While some took issue with the cookie-cutter revenge plot, Film Threat’s Bobby LePire awarded the action thriller an impressive 8/10, concluding, “Overall, The Workout tells an emotionally dramatic story through some (mostly) brutal and high-energy action sequences.”
